


ATLA/LOK: Sen & Len

by SEOKHMET



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: 100 Year War (Avatar TV), Air Temple Island, Airbending & Airbenders, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Azula (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Azula is gay, Battle, Bodyguard Romance, Childhood Sweethearts, Cute, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fan Characters, Fights, Fire Nation Royal Family, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Len hates Mako, Len is Tenzin and Lin's daughter, Len is an Airbender, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Post-100 Year War (Avatar TV), Protective Azula (Avatar), Republic City, Sen is Azula's childhood friend, Sen is a Firebender, She doesn't know yet, Slow Burn, Spoilers for Avatar: The Legend of Korra, Touch-Starved, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, but she will, korrasami isn't part of this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:53:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25883917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SEOKHMET/pseuds/SEOKHMET
Summary: I sometimes write stories of my OCS x Canon Characters but never post them. They're always rotting in my files, so I thought that maybe people would like to read my stories here! Been having several ATLA/LOK ideas lately so this book is just about the Avatar universe and my fan made characters.Azula x SenKorra x LenKorra and Azula's personalities might (and probably will) differ as chapters are posted since I'm still trying to grasp their personalities and insert my own headcanons!
Relationships: Azula (Avatar)/Original Character, Azula/OC, Korra (Avatar)/Original Character(s), Korra/OC
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	1. Introductions

Meet the characters!

Sen is a Firebender, born and raised in the Fire Nation under the royal family's care. Her mother disappeared when she was young so she was left with her father, a high-ranked general that worked for Ozai. Considering her father, Tamao, was sent off into the war on multiple occasions, Ozai allowed him to leave his daughter in his care. She spent a lot of time with Ozai's children but was closer to Azula, enough to be called the princess' closest friend.

Being part of the royal "family" meant she had to be perfect. There was no excuse to not excel in everything. Sen made sure to train as much as she was able to in order to impress Azula and Ozai, even if she suffered from traumas that affected her while in battle. When Azula was sent off in conquests Sen followed her as her right hand. She swore her loyalty to the princess and travelled with her wherever she went, protecting her from anything and never leaving her side, not even when she knew what they were doing was wrong.

Sen and Azula grew close ever since they had been sent off, developing feelings for each other. Despite already trusting Sen, Azula's perfect emotionless personality was broken several times when she realized her feelings for her. Both girls were touch-starved and found consolation in each other's arms, not taking very long to start a relationship. In hopes of making Azula proud, Sen tried to chase the Avatar during the Day of the Black Sun, ending up being taken by them.

Despite being the enemy, Team Avatar didn't see her as a threat, especially after Zuko joined them. After spending some days with them Sen joined Azula's side once more when she appeared with airships, returning with her to the Fire Nation. After Azula's fall, Sen begged Zuko to not lock her up and that she would be the one taking full responsibility for Azula.

Len Beifong is an Airbender, daughter of Tenzin and Lin Beifong before they started dating, born and raised in Republic City, Air Temple Island. She met Korra when Tenzin was protecting her from the Red Lotus, which lead the two to become best friends as the years passed. They had a sweet relationship where they balanced each other's personalities; Len was a very calm and collected person, while Korra had a more vivid and wild personality.

Throughout the years, Len developed a crush on Korra but never told her about it, because she knew she would never have a chance with the Avatar. Most of her life was spent in either the Air Temple Island in Republic City and the Southern Water Tribe, where she would stay with her grandmother Katara, aunt Kya and Korra's family. She was called a master Airbender by the age of 12, but Tenzin refused to give her her tattoos. In order to repress her feelings for the Avatar, Len started crushing on another friend of hers, Asami Sato.

She joined Korra as part of Team Avatar, fighting alongside her. Wherever Korra was, Len was there. After a rollercoaster of heartbreak one after the other, Len realized she still harboured feelings for Korra, which made her grow very protective of her best friend. Len was part of every adventure the Team Avatar went through and never left Korra's side when she recovered from the mercury attack.

After Kuvira was defeated, Korra and Len came out to their friends and family about their relationship and decided to go on a vacation to the Spirit world.


	2. Turtle Duck (Len)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len and Korra talk about their childhood feelings for each other while going on a walk together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story takes time a day before Zaheer's attack on the Metal Clan.

It was late at night, and Len couldn’t sleep at all. She twisted and turned around in bed, throwing off the bedsheets then bringing them back up. The entire estate was so quiet, it was supposed to make her relax, but for some reason, it was doing the complete opposite. Deciding that life was against her at the moment, she huffed and went for a late-night walk.

Len sat up and instinctively reached for her waterbenders armband Korra had given her all those years ago as well as her foldable glider, would she want to go for a short flight. She exited her room in just a pair of black pants, a white t-shirt, and her red cape letting her bare feet enjoy the sensation of the floor beneath her. 

Truth be told, Len was incredibly connected to nature and enjoyed walking barefoot rather often. It made her feel more down to earth, as much as possible for an Airbender like herself. Her hand wandered to her patched-up cheek, wincing.

“Len?” she heard, recognizing it to be Korra’s voice. “Is that you?”

Korra approached Len with a tired smile.

“Hey, Korra. Couldn’t sleep as well?” Len inquired with a gentle smile, looking at the young woman’s bright blue eyes. 

“Not really, no. I thought coming out for a walk would help me. Guess I was lucky I ran into you, huh?” Korra chuckled. “Can I join you?”

“Of course, you can, silly!”

The soft wind brushed through Len’s hair, making her smile. The two women walked side by side, talking in whispers as to not wake anyone up. They enjoyed moments alone like this, just the two of them. Len felt the back of her hand brush against Korra’s and gently extended her index finger, hooking it around Korra’s. Gentle touches were their thing, their quiet display of affection and care for one another.

“Len, can I ask you something?”

Len looked ahead, humming a small “yes” of acknowledgement. She felt Korra’s breathing change, something that worried her. _Please, let it not be what I’m thinking about_ , Len thought to herself.

“Back in the airship, Tenzin mentioned that you used to have a crush on me when we were younger,” Korra spoke slowly, almost as if afraid to know Len’s response. 

“Is that true?”

Len felt her own breath hitch, her mind racing with how to properly reply Korra’s question. Should she tell her the truth? Or lie and keep the façade up for a while longer? She looked at her friend, catching her hopeful gaze. Perhaps it was time to get the weight off her shoulders.

“Yes, it is,” Len muttered.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Korra sighed out in relief, which surprised the older Airbender.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me you liked me?” Korra inquired with a unique voice, sounding too excited. Ever since Tenzin admitted that Len liked Korra when they were younger, she wondered why her friend had never said anything about it.

“Korra,” Len licked her lips, trying her best to hold back her emotions, “You’re the Avatar, bender of four elements, and you’re so badass, I told myself I didn’t stand a chance with you.

“Then you came to Republic City after nearly a year of not seeing you, and even though I liked Asami, seeing you awakened all the feelings I tried to repress. I just couldn’t get over you.”

Korra stared at Len with eyes as wide as diner plates. She had quick flashbacks to moments she shared with Len, and, suddenly, certain expressions and actions from Len were justified.

“Then I saw the way you spoke and looked at Mako. Seeing Asami date that idiot was enough to put me down, but seeing the two girls I had feelings for, especially you, crushing on him really broke me,” Len felt her lips tremble at the painful memories.

“Len,” Korra let out a small sigh and held her best friend’s hand in hers, “I’m so sorry you went through that, but you really could’ve just told me! Who wouldn’t like to know their crush has always liked them back?”

“Your what?” Len stuttered, eyes wide.

After all those years, the Avatar liked Len back. She couldn’t believe it, it was too good to be true! Her heart fluttered, and she could feel as if there were a whole group of dragonfly bunny spirits flying inside her stomach. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I was scared! We were just teenagers figuring out our interests, and you were always so sweet and caring towards me,” Korra offered Len a small but sweet smile as a small tear fell down her cheek. “Besides, you were my only friend, I didn’t want to risk ruining our friendship.”

“Ow, Korra…” Len whispered and pulled her best friend for a long hug. “Nothing could ruin our friendship, not in a million years!”

“I guess this was a classic misunderstanding, huh?” Korra laughed and looked at Len’s eyes, her gaze moving down to her lips for a fraction of a second. The Airbender returned the laugh and nodded, pressing a kiss to Korra’s forehead, a habit of theirs.  


Perhaps it would be good to confess that Len still harbored those same feelings for Korra. The mood was there, and since they were admitting things, that was as good of a time as any. Her thought process was cut short when Korra carefully touched Len’s patched up cheek, holding back a wince.

“I was wondering if you’d like to stay with me tonight?” Korra inquired with a blush. “Just like when we were younger.”

“I’d love that, turtle duck,” Len chuckled and felt her heart flutter even more at Korra’s reaction to the nickname. Len used that nickname whenever they were alone, ever since they were little. Truth be told, Korra always felt special whenever the Airbender called her that, and, after these confessions, the nickname gained a new meaning for them.

Both girls walked back to Korra’s bedroom, and, on the way there, Len gave Korra her red cape so she could stay warm. They entered her bedroom and were greeted by a very tired Naga. The polar bear dog lifted her big head and nuzzled Len’s chest, giving her hand a lick before resting her head over her large paws.

They lay down on Korra’s bed, and, just like they used to as children, Korra wrapped her arms around Len’s slightly smaller body. Once they were comfortable, Korra rested her head on Len’s shoulder. Suddenly, a question popped up in her mind.

“Len, can I ask you something else?”

The tired Airbender hummed as a reply, nuzzling her head against the pillow.

“Do you still like Asami?” Korra inquired quietly, seemingly afraid of the answer.

“Not like I used to, no,” Len said truthfully as she took hold of one of Korra’s hands that rested on her stomach, her breathing slowing down. “We spoke about it after you lost your memory and even kissed to see if there was any spark, but we decided to remain best friends.”

Korra stayed quiet at that, thinking to herself. She was still somewhat upset about her breakup with Mako, but she couldn’t deny her returning feelings for Len. She always loved how calm and sweet her childhood crush was, how well their personalities clashed for the better. Before letting herself fall asleep, Korra pressed a kiss to Len’s right cheek, somewhat close to her lips and flustered at the feeling.

“Goodnight, Len,” Korra whispered, her hand squeezing Len’s.

“Goodnight, my turtle duck,” Len whispered half-asleep already, but still felt Korra’s breath hitch at her words. She wondered if Sen returned her feelings after all these years, after everything they went through. She decided not to think much of it at the moment, feeling her body relax next to her best friend's as the nickname echoed in her head.

Yes, _her_ turtle duck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this isn't very good but hopefully, someone out there will like these little stories I write of moments in my ocs' lives with their sweethearts
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!! 💙


	3. Wise (Sen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sen never backs down from a challenge/fight, and Azula takes advantage of that. She also learns that perhaps she enjoys her friend's attention and praises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes time before Aang was discovered by Katara and Sokka.

Lunch would be served soon, and, as per usual, Azula was practicing her firebending. This was something she did every single day, especially ever since Zuko had been banished. Azula took it upon herself that she would show her father what she was capable of and worthy of his love.

Today, Azula was trying to produce lightning. She had been trying to do it for a while now, believing she was strong and capable enough of doing it; it would surely make her father proud. She wanted to impress Ozai even if it meant exhausting herself. No matter how much she tried, though, she failed to produce any sparks.

“Will you sit there reading all day?” Azula muttered as she hit a target shot after shot.

“If I feel like it, Princess,” Sen answered loud enough for her to hear, eyes never leaving the book. For a servant, this would’ve warranted them a one-way ticket to the dungeons. They were to look at Azula when spoken to.

Azula grunted and threw a couple of fire blades towards the dummy, effectively cutting its head off. She smirked, looking towards her friend from the corner of her eyes. Nothing. Sen still had her eyes glued to the light blue book she so carefully held in her hands.

“You told me we would spar before lunch, are you backing down now?” Azula crossed her arms, her brows furrowing in annoyance. She glared at the person she considered- well, more like dared to think- her closest friend.

It seemed her words caught Sen’s attention, for the firebender’s gaze flickered between the book and Azula. She knew Sen would never back down from a challenge, especially one given to her by the Fire Nation princess after all. Still, Sen said nothing.

“Oh, I see,” Azula smirked, her voice becoming sadistic as she rested a hand on her hips. “Who would’ve thought Sen is scared to spar with me?”

“Come again?” Sen scoffed with a smirk, her golden eyes now fixated on the princess.

“You heard me,” Azula smirk widened, voice oozing with confidence.

She expected her friend to stand up and fight her finally, but it seemed Sen had a different plan. The older firebender put down her book and made her way towards Azula while keeping her expression unreadable; Sen was a mystery. As she came to stand in front of Azula, Sen crossed her arms over her chest and offered the young princess a smirk.

“You’re funny, thinking I’d ever be scared of you,” Sen chuckled.

“Oh, is that so?” Azula scoffed and turned her back on Sen, walking towards a towel to wipe her sweat off. 

When she was far enough, Azula turned around and kicked a fire ball towards Sen. With reflexes on her side, Sen was able to turn around just in time to cut through the attack with a smile on her face.

“Very clever, your highness.”

Sen often confused Azula. She wouldn’t cower under her intense glares nor hold back her opinions from her. Truth be told, Sen had a deep admiration for Azula; no matter how violent and cruel Azula could be, she admired her strength and skills. Like Azula, Sen was deeply committed and would never back down from a fight and could grow ruthlessly if needed.

The two girls engaged in combat, eyes focused solely on each other. They moved in sync as if they could read each other’s minds whenever one made a move. The 14-year-old princess’ blue flames cut easily through Sen’s fire shots, the latter being able to successfully evade many of her opponent’s fire attacks. Azula dared to think that Sen could possibly be just as good as her with more training; she expected no less from her soon-to-be right hand in combat, after all.

Azula made an attempt to punch fire at Sen’s head but was surprised when the older girl grabbed her wrist, stretching her arm upwards, causing the fire to completely miss her skin by a fraction of a second. They were extremely close at that point, noses nearly brushing against each other.

“Missed it,” Sen chuckled, making Azula scoff and kick her on the stomach, which made them jump back a few feet away. “That was very good, Azula. A little bit more to the left, and I would’ve gotten a scar like Zuko’s!”

Azula’s breath hitched slightly, not enough for Sen to notice. She didn’t allow people to refer to her so informally, they were all beneath her after all. But she felt something odd in her chest whenever Sen called her by her name, more so whenever she praised her; Azula _enjoyed_ it. 

A maid appeared on the training field they were in, informing them that lunch was ready to be served. In an attempt to end the sparring match quickly, Sen began throwing fire blasts one after another.

“Your movements are sharper than last time we sparred,” Sen commented, obviously impressed with how quick Azula was to either evade or cut through her attacks with her blue fire.

_She critiques my attacks through praises_ , the princess thought to herself.

“Do not forget I am much stronger than you, Senny,” Azula smirked.

“Never in my dreams would I think otherwise, your highness,” Sen laughed and ducked from an incoming attack.

Azula began her own row of attacks, some of which proved difficult for Sen to evade without getting her clothes burnt. Before she was hit by another shot of blue fire, Sen did a backflip and, before hitting the ground, she used her feet to punch a fire ball towards the princess. When she landed, she saw Azula groaning and clutching her stomach as she lay on the ground.

“By the spirits, princess, are you okay?” Sen ran to her side and got down on her knees halfway through, ignoring the pain on her scraped knees as they dragged on the ground from how fast she ran.

Azula just groaned.

“I’m so sorry, Azula, I didn’t mean to-” Sen was frozen when she saw the smirk on Azula’s lips. 

In a swift movement, Azula swept her off her feet, pinning Len to the ground and locking her in place with her legs on either side. Azula’s hand was pressed against Sen’s chest while she held back her other arm above her head with her hand clutched into a fist.

Sen was speechless. With eyes as wide as diner plates, all she could do was leave her mouth hanging open in shock.

“Never get thrown off guard, Sen. Not even if they’re squirming on the ground, begging for help,” the princess drawled out, a victorious grin plastered on her face as she flipped her bangs. "You can end their lives, though."

“By Agni, she’s cute…”

Silence filled the air.

Sen remained still, eyes glued on Azula. The princess’ mind went blank, the only thing she could focus on was her friend’s quick heartbeat underneath her palm. She felt her own heart skip a beat, cheeks flushing a light pink.

“What did you just say-“ Azula began talking, but gasped as Sen took advantage of their position.

Considering that Azula had her legs on both sides of Sen’s body, it was far too easy to roll to the side and pin Azula to the ground. Sen had her hands pressed on the princess’ shoulders, effectively keeping her down.

“A wise princess once told me to never let anything throw me off guard,” Sen whispered with a gentle smile.

The way she looked and smiled at Azula, praising her by using her own words as a form of critique… it made Azula’s heart skip another beat. She was confused as to why she felt so… nervous. She realized that, for as long as she had known Sen, never once did the girl reprehend her with harsh words, much like her father did. It made Azula feel more confident and determined to improve.

“A wise princess also said to go for the hands, not the shoulders,” Azula scolded her, voice wavering at the end.

“Ah, I apologize, princess,” said Sen as she released Azula’s shoulders and took hold of her hands, pinning them on each side of her head. “Is this the correct way, then?”

The moment their warm, tired hands came in contact, Azula swore she felt sparks tingling her palms.

“Get off me!” Azula demanded with a harsh tone, pushing the older girl off her and dusting her clothes as if something dirty had touched her.

“Shall we go have lunch now, your highness?”

Azula looked at the girl, who was still sitting on the ground. With an assertive nod, the princess made her way back inside the palace she called home, Sen following right behind her. Why did she feel electricity running through her hands when Sen touched her?

_Never mind that_ , Azula thought. _It was just a coincidence._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are appreciated! 💙


	4. Alive pt.1 (Len)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len is left alone in Ba Sing Se, severely injured while Mako and Bolin escape. It gives her time to think about anything that might ease off her pain. But what happens if her friends think she's dead?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes time after Mako and Bolin are captured by Zaheer and taken to the Earth Kingdom.

She didn't know how long she had stayed in that empty cell, body aching from the beatings she received when imprisoned. Len was sitting with her back pressed against the cold, hard wall of her cell, clutching to her stomach. Her clothes were a wreck, torn, and dirty from the punishment she received from the Earth Queen's guards.

It was silent for the most part, it drove her insane. She needed to hear something, anything that would tell her she wasn't all alone. She hoped to hear Bolin's cheerful voice and even tolerated the thought of hearing Mako's, but dreams of Korra consumed her mind. She needed to get out to tell her Zaheer was coming after her. But what could she do? She was trapped and didn't know when she would be set free.

If only she could survive to see Korra again to warn her.

Korra… thinking of her brought a smile to Len's lips. She remembered the night they spent together, simply holding each other, and finding out they had had a crush on each other when they were children. Her smile widened when she recalled how adorable Korra acted the following day.

_It was late afternoon, and dinner would be served soon, so Korra asked Suyin if they could practice a little more before their meal. From not too far away, Len and Lin were sparring. The Airbender avoided all of her mother's attacks, smirking. Lin scoffed and told her to give everything she got, something Len was hesitant about doing so._

_"You can do this, Len!" she heard Korra shout from where she stood holding a piece of metal in her hand._

_This caused Len to lose focus for a split second, getting hit by one of her mother's attacks on the stomach. Lin laughed, helping her daughter up and dusting her off._

_"Don't let your girlfriend's cheers distract you," the older Beifong smirked, crossing her arms._

_"Mom! She's not my girlfriend… not yet at least," Len whispered the last part for herself, watching as Lin arched her brow in amusement. Shrugging it off, Lin decided to head inside earlier to freshen up before dinner._

_Len joined her aunt and Korra, taking a seat nearby to observe them. She couldn't keep her eyes off Korra and how happy she seemed to be able to metalbend properly. Korra's adorable, Len thought. She met Korra's joyful eyes and grinned at her, causing the Avatar's cheeks to flush a light shade of pink._

_She had spent the whole day following Len around, something rather unusual of Korra, and was more affectionate. What was she trying to do? Len had no clue. Usually, whenever Korra wanted to do something with Len or drag her somewhere, she'd frequently hold her hands until the Airbender gave in._

_Once dinner was over, Len decided to go back to her room. On her way there, however, Korra stood in front of her to keep her from walking._

_"Do you need anything, turtle duck?" Len inquired with a small smile._

_"I was wondering if you'd like to stay in my room again. I missed those moments we used to spend together without a care in the world," Korra muttered with a small blush._

_"Sure, I actually slept a lot better with you by my side," Len started, but realized just how oddly flirty it sounded. "I mean… You know, it's always better when you have someone you're fond of by your side… I-"_

_Good job, Len._

_Korra chuckled, taking hold of Len's hand and dragging her to her room. They stayed up until late, talking to each other about the future, about Zaheer, or playing with Naga. Once both were tired, they decided to lay down and call it a day. With Len tucked in her arms, Korra pressed her forehead against her friend's and smiled. She could feel how slow and steady Len's breathing was._

That's when darker thoughts clouded her mind. Len realized that night was the night Zaheer tried to kidnap Korra. Her hands turned into fists as she recalled going out for a glass of water and returning, only to find Zaheer running away with her best friend. Thinking about the desperation she felt that day made her chest hurt.

Len let out a loud, painful groan. _Stay alive, Len._

_Bolin and Mako were already outside and calling for help. She wasn't able to reach the enemy group in time, for Ghazan created a lava pool to prevent anyone from getting near them. Len joined those who tried to knock out Zaheer, hoping he would give up and leave Korra._

_"Give up, Zaheer! You're surrounded!" shouted Len as she used her glider staff to blow strong gusts of air at him._

_Zaheer noticed that Lin and Suyin escaped through the roof with Korra and made a run for it, grabbing his glider and making his way to the top._

_Sen chased him on her own glider, trying to reach him before he tried anything. As he grew closer, Len flew above him, closing the glider and blasted air at him using the closed staff, but failed. Once again, she threw a blast of air at his back, sending him far enough so Suyin could stab his glider, making him fall._

_When Korra was safe and sound, and back inside the estate, Len made sure to stay by her side all night, not letting herself fall asleep. That night she held Korra in her arms, never letting her go, afraid they might come back._

_She realized right then and there that she had been in love with Korra for the past year. Not a massive crush as it had been for many years, but real love. She needed to see Korra, she needed to be by her side, make her smile, and make her feel loved to go through with her days._

_"Please, my turtle duck, don't leave me," Len whispered against Korra's dark hair, voice dripping with pain as the tears fell down her cheeks._

"Hurry! Grab as much gold as you can!" a man's voice echoed through the hallway, interrupting Len's thoughts.

Gathering the little bit of strength she had left, Len walked towards the metal bars and saw a young girl run in front of her cell. She could be her way out!

"Hey, little girl! What's going on?" Len inquired with a quiet voice, hoping her busted up appearance wouldn't scare the child.

"A man on the big speakers said the queen has left the throne, and we're free to take anything we want! I came here with my dad," she giggled and pointed towards a man. She couldn't be more than 6 years old; she reminded Len of her brother Meelo.

"Oh, sir! Can you please help me out?" Len's voice broke halfway through due to the pain, but the man seemed to understand her. He found a set of keys hanging on the wall and tried every one of them until Len's cell door opened.

"What happened to you, child? You're in such bad conditions!" the man seemed shocked at the bruises Len had on her exposed skin. "Please, my wife is a waterbender healer, let me take you with us, and I'm sure she'll help you!"

Len was thrown off guard at the man's offer. She nearly collapsed on the floor had it not been for him wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She explained how she travelled with the Avatar and was captured along with her two friends.

Once they got outside, Len noticed an airship lifting off. Considering how poorly positioned it was and the fact it kept going from side to side, she could only assume Bolin was piloting it. She tried to airbend to reach the airship, shouting their names but to no avail.

Sano, the man that set her free, took her to his house, far away from the fires. There, she met his wife, Yoshida, who used her waterbending healing abilities to lessen Len's pain. She stayed with the family for a couple of hours, regaining as much strength as she could. 

She couldn't believe Mako and Bolin didn't even try to find her. True, she probably looked like she was dead in front of them, but she thought they would've tried to find her at least. What if they found Korra and told her that she was dead?

Once the chaos seemed to die down, Len thanked the small family for helping her with her wounds. Now all she had left to do was find a way back to the Oasis. Just when she started thinking that there was no way to go back, she spotted a flying bison coming towards her. She had forgotten she had flown her flying bison to the Oasis! She must've followed the three of them after they were captured.

"Boba! You're here!" She shouted and hugged her flying bison's face once she had landed. She climbed to her back and took off, looking behind her as a couple of tears felt. Ba Sing Se was in even worse shape than when she first visited. Once they were high in the air, Len collapsed on her pet's head, falling asleep from exhaustion.

Perhaps her best destiny right now would be reuniting with her family, surely Korra would show up soon. Len figured that by the time she'd arrive at the Oasis, Korra would be gone, so she took the only other option she had.

She was going to survive.

Little did she know was that Mako and Bolin had already reunited with Korra and Asami. Korra hugged them tightly with a big smile on her face. She looked around them, hoping to find Len in the crowd that was Mako and Bolin's family.

"Where's Len?" she asked with a small hopeful smile, eyes still roaming the crowd.

Sadly, Bolin and Mako looked at each other and turned to Korra, not sure how to give her the terrible news.

"Korra… we don't know how to tell you this, but," Bolin spoke quietly, but he knew he wouldn't continue.

"What happened to Len?" Korra asked once more, but this time her voice was growing worried, desperate even.

"When we were captured by Zaheer, he took us to the Earth Queen and had us locked up. Before they separated us, they forced us to watch them beat Len with as much force as they were allowed to," Mako tried to sound calm, but even he felt affected by it. "We couldn't do anything to help her, they dragged her away on the floor."

Korra was dead silent. Lin, who stood next to her, had her eyes wide and brimming with tears. No, her daughter had to be safe…. Right?

"She's dead?" Korra inquired with a broken voice, fists clenching.

Bolin started to cry, bringing his hands to his face as he tried to calm himself down. On the other hand, Korra felt a burst of rage, grief, and sadness wash over her. She stormed out of the Oasis before she destroyed anything and had to be physically restrained before entering the avatar state. It had to be a sick joke, this couldn't be real. 

Len wouldn't be around anymore, and Korra couldn't stand the thought of not having her best friend around anymore. No, Len was more than a best friend, and she knew it; she had known for a long time. Korra started crying uncontrollably, pushing her back against a wall and sliding down until she was sitting. 

"Please, my turtle duck, don't leave me," Korra sobbed into her arms, soon joined by Lin, who silently cried by her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated! 💙


	5. Sickening Care (Sen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula might be a prodigy and an excellent fighter, but she has no clue how to survive in the wild.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes time when Azula is on her way to recruit Ty Lee for her team.

“Where is that infernal circus?!” Azula grumbled, swatting a tree branch away from her face.

Several hours passed since Azula and Sen had left the ship searching for the princess’s childhood friends. She decided that to get to the Avatar, she would need extra hands on their side. Four people against four sounded more balanced, wouldn’t you think?

She thought finding the circus would be easy to do on foot, especially if they took a shortcut. What she didn’t count on was arriving at the spot the circus was supposed to be, only to find it empty.

_“What? How is it not here?! This is the exact spot they advertised back in the market!” Azula groaned and puffed her cheeks in frustration._

_“Your highness, it is a travelling circus after all,” Sen reminded her, a small smile on her lips as she observed Azula’s puffy cheeks._

“Why did Ty Lee join a circus, of all places, your highness?” the princess’ right-hand inquired with a curious voice as she shuffled around in her bag, looking for a map.

“Something about wanting to stand out from her six identical twins,” Azula huffed to keep a hair from getting in front of her face. Sen gasp rather loudly, which made Azula look over her shoulder with an arched brow.

“I apologize, princess, it’s just I didn’t think it was possible to have seven identical people.”

Another hour passed, and Azula was admittedly becoming tired; she needed to sit down. Considering that the sun was setting, both girls thought it would be for the best to camp for the night. While Sen prepared the tent for Azula, the princess decided to search for something fresh to eat.

Once the tent was up, Sen gathered around some wood for a campfire. While Azula was gone, she decided it would be for the best to cook dinner. She had taken the opportunity to buy some raw meats and ingredients from the local market just in case something precisely like this would happen.

It didn’t take very long for Azula to return. Her hair was loose and full of twigs. _Probably got angry at a tree_ , Sen chuckled to herself until she noticed Azula held something in her hands and was eating it.

“Your highness, what are you eating?” the older girl inquired, walking towards the princess.

“Berries, I found them in a bush nearby-“ Azula was cut off when Sen slapped her hand, causing all the berries to fall on the dirty ground. “What was that for?!”

“How many of these did you eat?”

“About ten,” the princess shrugged, seemingly pissed off that Sen had ruined her snack. “Why?”

Sen shook her head from side to side and took hold of Azula’s hand, dragging her to the campsite. Both girls sat down in front of the fire in silence, something that was making Azula greatly annoyed.

“Will you talk?” She asked with a harsh tone, sounding more like an order than a question.

“You ate poisonous berries, Princess.” Azula was caught off guard by that, staying silent.

Sen looked through her big bag in search of a teapot she had brought along if the princess wished for some tea. After dinner was ready, the girl removed it from the fire and set some water boil. She found it odd that Azula had grown so quiet. Sen took a quick glance at the princess only to find her skin paler than usual. Before she could speak, however, Azula beat her to it.

“Am I going to die?” the princess inquired. She looked so scared, but most of all, Azula felt like an idiot.

“No, you won’t. You’ll feel very sick and cold soon, though,” Sen looked at her with sympathy. “I brought your favorite tea to drink, I hope that helps.”

Just like Sen said, it didn’t take long for Azula to stand up and rush to a bush to empty her stomach. Sen stood up and hurried after her, holding her hair back to not get it dirty while rubbing Azula’s back with her hand. Azula coughed in pain and groaned, keeping her eyes closed. She was utterly embarrassed that Sen had to witness such a horrid action, thinking she was probably laughing to herself.

Sen poured Azula a cup of her favorite tea in hopes it would make her feel better. Azula slowly reached for the cup and blew on the hot drink, then took a small sip. She couldn’t help but smile a little; it was just how she liked it.

As night settled, Sen took notice of Azula’s trembling body. Without saying a word, she removed her thick jacket from inside her bag and set it over the princess’ shoulders.

“This will help you feel warm for a bit, your highness,” the firebender affirmed with a kind smile, earning a small blush from Azula.

“Thank you.”

As expected, she felt too sick to have anything asides the tea. It was already very dark and cold, so Azula decided to call it a day and go to her tent. She was surprised how Sen was able to stuff the tent in her bag, all the while carrying around more items inside it; it must be pretty heavy now that she thinks about it.

Once she changed into her sleeping garments, Azula propped herself on the pretend mattress Sen had made for her out of piles of leaves and a blanket on top. She felt so tired, exhausted even, ready to sleep. So why couldn’t she? Minutes passed, and everything grew silent if you didn’t count the sound of the tree leaves rustling and the cricket noises.

With a groan, Azula stood up and peeked outside the tent. It was quite dark; she could barely make out Sen’s body curled up near the campfire. Was she going to sleep outside?

“Sen,” Azula called out with a tired voice. She didn’t want to wake up her friend in case she was already asleep.

Sen’s head snapped up to look at Azula’s pale face. “Is everything alright, princess?”

“Y-Yes,” Azula stuttered a little, caught off guard by how cute Sen looked with tired eyes. “Are you going to sleep there?”

The older girl blinked in confusion as if Azula had just asked the weirdest thing on the planet. She looked between her and the campfire, then at Azula with a nod.

“I can’t have my right-hand in battle sleeping out in the cold,” Azula huffed and opened the tent’s flaps for her to come in. “Come in. You’re sleeping in the tent.”

“Why, though?” Sen chuckled, sitting up with her legs sprawled on the ground. “Does the princess need _my_ company? I’m flattered.”

“As if I needed you for anything,” Azula scoffed and moved back inside the tent, cheeks burning. Who does Sen think she is? Making fun of her like that? She couldn’t explain why her cheeks were so flustered, though. That goofy grin Sen had on her face didn’t help either.

“You did eat a bunch of poisonous berries, princess,” Sen chuckled, earning a loud groan from inside the tent.

Sen eventually joined the princess inside the tent, lying next to her but far away enough to give her space to move. Azula couldn’t explain why feeling Sen’s body by her side felt so comfortable; the only reason she could find is that she was simply sick. Yeah, that was it. Azula was ill and needed her right-hand in battle by her side.

“Good night, Azula,” she whispered, causing the princess to blush. Why did she like it so much when Sen called her by her first name? She was a soldier, she shouldn’t address her so informally. Yet, she wanted her to be so informal with her.

It took her a while to fall asleep, something that greatly annoyed her. She turned to the other side, snuggling herself into the makeshift bed her loyal friend had made for her. As she opened her eyes, she was greeted with Sen’s sleeping face, an arm’s length away. Resting next to her face was her right hand, the golden ring on her thumb, catching Azula’s attention.

She extended her hand and carefully let her cold fingertips touch Sen’s freckled cheek, one finger tracing over an old scar that passed over the bridge of her nose. Careful as to not wake her up, Azula brushed a piece of hair that fell in front of Sen’s face. The calm expression on her friend’s face made Azula feel warm; she was always so tense, watching out for Azula. Not that she really needed any protection, but in a way, she enjoyed having Sen’s full undivided attention.

Having grown up close, she was bound to trust and bond with Sen. They both had mothers who clearly didn’t like them. Still, while Ursa opted to neglect Azula, Sen’s mother punished her severely for firebending. She could still remember the day Sen arrived at the palace covered in bruises and with a swollen eye. Breaking down, she admitted that she was a firebender; her mother had forbidden her from ever telling anyone.

Azula bit her lip, brushing her thumb under one of Sen’s eyes. The older girl groaned in her sleep, frowning ever so slightly as she extended her arms. She wrapped an arm around Azula’s body, pulling her close to her in her sleep. It was a habit of hers to sleep while hugging a pillow, it comforted her back in the palace.

“Sen,” Azula whispered as she tried to pull away from the girl’s hold. Her body heated up at how close they were, but it also gave her a sense of comfort. She was indeed exhausted. Deciding that Sen wasn’t going to budge, Azula let herself fall asleep like that.

Truth be told, Azula hadn’t slept that well in a very long time. Perhaps it was because of how sick she had gotten, it exhausted her… right? For another two days, the two slept exactly like that. It turns out they were even more lost than they initially thought, and it was driving Azula insane. At the end of the day, she always found comfort with the firebender by her side.

When she woke up in the morning, Azula realized she was alone. Confused, Azula stood up and peaked outside the tent, not spotting Sen anywhere. Deciding to go look for her, Azula changed into her daily clothes and stepped out of the tent. That was strange behavior, Sen refused to leave her side no matter what during their journeys.

About half an hour passed until Sen returned to the camp. The princess was quick to scold her for leaving her alone, saying that she could’ve been attacked.

“With all due respect, Princess, nobody is strong or clever enough to ever lay a finger on you,” Sen muttered with confidence, a smirk playing on her lips. This caused Azula to fluster in seconds, crossing her arms and looking away as she took a seat in front of the extinguished campfire.

“As much as your attitude annoys me, you are very right,” the princess said assertively, huffing. “I demand to know where you were, why you left so early.”

Sen approached her and got down on one knee, opening the big leaf she carried in her hand. Inside were all sorts of fresh, tasty-looking fruits.

“I thought you’d like to have a nice breakfast,” Sen answered with a shy smile, hoping cheer Azula up. “You’re a Princess, after all, you deserve the best.”

Azula didn’t know it was possible to become even more embarrassed than she already felt. Still, she also felt really good and pampered. Accepting the fruits, the princess took a bite of an apple, sighing at the delicious taste. 

“We should arrive at where the circus is before the sun sets,” Sen informed her a she looked between a map and a flyer.

“Perfect, we’re still in time,” Azula hummed as she took a bite off another apple.

A question popped in the princess’s head.

“Sen?” she called, earning a hum from the other girl. “How do you know all this stuff?”

“Can you specify?”

“How did you learn how to know what’s poisonous and what isn’t, how do you know where to look for things, how to make a comfortable bed out of leaves,” Azula rambled. She was curious, she really was.

“We used to go camping a lot when I was very young, my mother was an amazing cook and grew her own ingredients. When we were out camping, she’d take me with her and show me what was good to eat and what wasn’t,” the firebender spoke with a bored voice; it was her way to repress any bad memories. Her eyes told another story, however.

Azula immediately took notice of this and reached for Sen’s hand, carefully holding it. She touched the golden ring on her thumb and sat a little closer to her childhood friend. Sen offered Azula a small but sweet smile.

“I guess it came in handy after all. I’m also an excellent cook. I’m your right-hand for a reason,” she continued, looking at Azula with a gentle look in her eyes. She could never decipher what that look meant, but Azula had never seen Sen look at anyone like that; a look reserved for her and her only.

“Can you teach me?” Azula inquired. Royalty didn’t have to learn such trivial things like cooking or combing her hair. Still, Azula knew that if she was to ever get lost again, she needed to know how to survive in case Sen wasn’t around.

“Of course, Azula,” Sen chuckled and reached to grab a bag made out of leaves, completely missing the way Azula’s cheeks reddened at the informality. Sen unfolded the leaves and revealed two beautiful fish she had caught in the nearby river.

She proceeded to teach Azula how to remove the scales using a sharp knife, then how to properly cut it and season it with simple herbs she could find in the woods. Sen was more than happy to show her dearest friend how to pick the correct herbs, plucking some, and letting her smell them, take in the aroma.

“This smells very good, and tastes even better,” Sen grinned, but couldn’t help but blush at her own words.

Once back on the camp, she let Azula cook her own fish, praising her all the way. She relished on the fact Azula seemed to be having fun like a regular teenager her age, and that’s precisely what Sen was aiming for. Despite addressing her with formal titles out of habit, Sen enjoyed teasing and playing with Azula; she wanted her to feel like a normal human.

Azula was shocked at how good her meal tasted and was actually excited to learn more. Perhaps she could cook a meal for Sen as a thank you for sticking with her all those years and more to come. Yes, that felt like a good idea.

The two girls arrived at the circus before sunset.

“Finally, we’re here,” Azula let out a huff and crossed her arms, eyes roaming the crowd of performers in hopes to find Ty Lee. Once she did, however, a weird feeling washed over her.

Azula knew they would no longer be alone, just like it had always been. She decided they would leave in the morning and that they should camp outside the circus. After convincing Ty Lee to join her, the princess and her right-hand soldier set up camp right outside the circus, yet far away enough to not be disturbed.

They lay side by side once again that night. Azula watched Sen sleep peacefully, running her hand through the firebender’s dark red hair. What was that feeling that fluttered in her chest? Her thoughts were interrupted when, once again, Sen pulled her close and wrapped her arms around the princess.

She allowed herself to fall asleep in her arms for the last time in a very long time, but little did she know Sen had been awake the entire time. The older girl opened her eyes and observed her best friend’s calm, sleeping expression with a small smile.

“Goodnight, my princess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are appreciated! 💙  
> (also thank you weirdwolf325 for the title <3)


	6. Alive pt. 2 (Len)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len reunites with her family, and soon with Korra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happens during the time Korra is taken by Zaheer and poisoned.

It felt like an eternity had passed since Len left Ba Sing Se when it had only been a day. She felt dehydrated, dirty, and still in a lot of pain. Yoshida really did help lessen her pain, but considering the severe beating, she received it just was not enough to end it. Len took a mental note to pass by their house in the future to thank them for saving her.

Len slept throughout the entire ride, dreaming about all sorts of things. She couldn’t wait to see her family again, hug them, and tell them how much she missed them. Then Korra came into her dreams, something that made her smile as she slept.

She dreamed of small moments they shared together ever since they met each other like the first time they sparred together. The many times Korra let Len take Naga for walks, the day Len had to come back to Republic City to get her tattoos.

It was one of her happiest days. Len was given the master Airbender title and could finally get her tattoos at age 17; she was considered a master at the age of 12, but her father claimed she was not ready.

_“I’m really sad you can’t come with me to Republic City,” Len sighed as she held Korra in her arms. The girls were spending their last night together before Len had to return to her home. “You won’t get to see me bald!”_

_“I know! It’s so unfair, I’ve done everything they told me to do, yet they won’t let me go!” Korra complained as she snuggled closer to Len’s front, dropping her hands to rest on top of her friend’s._

_Korra had finally started her serious training, now that she was 16 years old. Even though she trained a lot in the past, now she knew that she couldn’t let anything distract her from her Avatar training. She was still very upset she wouldn’t be able to see her best friend’s ceremony. They slept in each other’s arms that night, something they would surely miss._

_As expected, the following morning was very emotional for the two girls. Before Len left, Korra gave her a long hug, caressing the airbender’s long, fluffy hair. As a gift, Korra gave Len her left water tribe armband._

_“I’ll never take this off, I promise you,” Len smiled at her, pressed a kiss to her forehead and jumped on Boba’s head._

_Nearly a year had passed since the girls last saw each other: they wrote letters quite often. The next time Korra saw Len was the day after she arrived in Republic City. Tenzin agreed to train her and took her to his home._

_When the girls reunited, Korra couldn’t help but feel her heartbeat pound rapidly. Len looked beautiful with short hair, the tattoos really made her look more mature; truth be told, Len had always been the matured one out of the two._

_“I love the new haircut,” Korra complimented her with a grin, causing the older girl to blush. Len’s head was shaved on the sides and back, only leaving a bit of hair on top; it suited her._

_“Thank you, you look pretty cute,” Len grinned back, earning a dark blush from Korra._

She was stirred away by Boba’s groan. When Len opened her eyes, she was shocked to find the temple her family had stayed in to be ruined, lava oozing out of every door and crack. It broke her heart to see such a beautiful temple wholly destroyed.

“The lava still looks very much alive, this is recent,” Len thought out loud. When she approached the temple, she spotted a baby bison take off with about five people. She recognized her father right away, and a big, happy smile made its way in her lips.

Not wanting to scare them, she decided it would be best to stay a bit further away and follow them. 

She soon arrived at what seemed to be a campsite with soldiers and her family. They were all shocked to see her land, to the point they didn’t even more. As she got off Boba, all Len could feel was a pair of strong arms pulling her for a hug.

Lin hugged her daughter with as much strength as she could without hurting her, tears running down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe it, her daughter was alive and there in her arms. She didn’t want to let her go, but she knew Tenzin wished to see his daughter.

“We all thought you were dead, sweetie,” Tenzin said as he pulled her for a hug.

“Dead? Why would you-“ then her eyes lay on Mako and Bolin, voice dropping to a somewhat menacing tone. “You.

“You two left me behind in Ba Sing Se!” Len shouted and grabbed her chest.

“I’m so sorry, Len, I tried to go look for you, but I couldn’t find your cell anywhere,” Bolin quickly walked to her and gave her a hug. “Mako said we didn’t have time and that you were probably dead, and we had to leave…”

“Of course, it was Mako’s idea, you were dying to get rid of me, weren’t you? You had the perfect opportunity.”

Mako frowned and took a step forward, “We thought you were dead! We saw them drag you away all bloodied!”

“Didn’t it ever occur in your sorry excuse of a brain that I was simply unconscious?!” Len growled and huffed, her hands clutching to her glider staff for support. She was in a horrible state.

“How could we think you were unconscious! You were lying in a pool of blood, we were certain you had died!” Mako growled back, his hands turned into fists. “We would’ve come back to look for you eventually, anyway.”

“You have no fucking idea how it felt like being in there, all alone. I even tried to catch up to you two as you took off on the airship, but you never stopped,“ Len muttered in a low tone. When she looked up, her eyes were so dark it intimidated the firebender. “I could be dead right now, and it’d all be thanks to you, you fucking idiot.”

It seemed like the world stopped for a couple of seconds. Len dropped her head, eyes fixated on the ground; she had never said such rude words to anyone before in her life. Everyone was quiet, looking between the two benders. If looks could kill, Mako would be 6ft under the ground; Tenzin’s scowl was enough to make Mako gulp back his own words.

“Enough,” Lin also stepped in and glared at Mako, but her gaze softened upon seeing her daughter’s face. Hoping to calm her down, she placed her hand on Len’s shoulder, “We need to go help Korra, she’ll be happy to know Len is alive and fierce as ever. We need to get to her before it’s too late.”

“Where is she?” asked Len.

“Zaheer took her.”

Korra was chained up, unable to bend anything to save her. The poison was driving her crazy, the pain was becoming unbearable. She could feel the poison entering her body, forcing the Avatar state to come out to protect her body. She envisioned every member of the Red Lotus as one of her past enemies but, when she looked behind Zaheer, she saw Len. Her glowing white eyes widened at the figure.

“Len?” Korra said in confusion. It’s the poison, Len isn’t alive anymore, Korra told herself.

That thought alone made Korra’s rage increase. Because of Zaheer, her best friend was dead, and she wasn’t able to spend her last moments by her side. But the way that Len smiled, the same goofy smile of hers, made her spill a couple of tears.

Len was able to help as much as she could in finding the other airbenders, considering she wasn’t in the best shape. Tenzin didn’t like the idea she was putting herself in danger once more, but Len assured him that she wanted to find her family and Korra. Len tried to prove herself she was capable enough to fight, that she wasn’t weak. She joined in but was told to stay behind with Tenzin due to her fragile condition.

“I can’t stay here and do nothing, dad,” Len stated and stood up, opening her glider.

“Len,” Tenzin grabbed her wrist. The girl was ready to complain and try to convince her dad to let her go, that she was more than capable of giving her friends a hand. But she was surprised when her father gave her a small smile. “Be careful.”

With a nod, Len opened her glider and made her way towards the exit of the cave where everyone else was.

“Len!” Jinora shouted and ran towards her sister, giving her a big hug.

“You’re all safe, thank the spirits,” Len sighed in relief and returned the hug, only to be distracted by a loud crashing sound.

Korra was in the avatar state, throwing boulder after boulder towards Zaheer to defeat him, but he was simply too fast. Len frowned, still unable to understand how a man who had been a non-bender all his life was able to airbend at a master level. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw her best friend crash against a big wall and slide down.

“Korra!” Len cried out and used her glider. Asami was quick to grab her hand before she could take off.

“Len! You’re in no condition to go fight them, one blow, and you’re down!”

“I can’t let him hurt her, Asami, please let me go,” Len said desperately, her voice breaking at the thought of Zaheer hurting Korra. “Please.”

Asami seemed conflicted. She didn’t want Korra to get hurt, but she also didn’t want Len sacrificing her life when she’s so vulnerable and weak. One thing she knew, though, was that Len could be incredibly fast even at a breaking point.

She let go of her hand.

In the meantime, Jinora and the rest of the airbenders got together. They created a tornado to capture Zaheer and save Korra. By the time Len arrived at where the Avatar was, she witnessed Zaheer try to asphyxiate her.

“No!” Len screamed and landed on a rock, using her glider staff to blow a strong blast of air at Zaheer. “Don’t you fucking touch her!”

_Damn, Len, your mouth got dirty while in Ba Sing Se, Len thought briefly._

Korra’s head snapped towards the blurry figure, trying to make out who it was. _It sounds like Len,_ she thought. That was impossible… Len had- it still hurt too much to think about it.

Right at that moment, the tornado started to pick up. Zaheer attempted to attack Len but felt his body being pulled. He grabbed Korra and attempted to flee but eventually got pulled inside the tornado with her. Once she saw that Korra had Zaheer’s foot chained, Len threw another one of her offensive air blasts, effectively keeping the enemy inside the tornado.

In pain, Len landed back on a giant rock in hopes of regaining her breath. From afar, she saw how they had the man trapped inside a few rocks. Regaining her strength, Len flew down to her family and friends, landing on her knees by accident. Ignoring the pain in her body, Len rushed to Korra’s side, sitting on her knees next to Tonroq.

“Please, Korra, stay alive,” Len whispered and let the tears fall, holding Korra’s hand in hers as if grasping for dear life.

The Avatar looked up, and her eyes locked with Len’s. Korra couldn’t believe it, Len was alive! She was right there next to her, holding her. But Korra began wondering if she was dying, and that Len was there to greet her at the end of the tunnel. The pain was winning, and she didn’t know how long she could last. She was beyond happy. Her dad was alive and safe, and to see that Len had survived and was there next to her.

With a small smile, Korra closed her eyes.

“No, no, please, Korra, you can fight this,” Len sobbed in agony, holding her best friend’s knuckles to her lips and kissing them repeatedly.

Jinora alerted to the fact that the poison inside Korra was made of metal and that it was possible to take it out. In a flash, Suyin attempted to remove the poison from inside the Avatar. Several excruciating seconds passed until Korra spit out a large amount of poison, coughing for air.

Everyone sighed in relief. The Avatar was alive.

Len stepped back, letting Korra and Tonroq share a moment together. 

“Dad, you’re alive,” Korra sighed and hugged Tonroq, holding him close to her. “I was so worried, I saw you fall, and I thought I had lost you too…”

“You didn’t lose anyone, Korra. We’re all here, you’re here with us, safe,” Tonroq kissed his daughter’s forehead and held her close to his chest.

Korra felt tears threatening to spill. No, not everyone was there. Len wasn’t there.

“She’s not here,” was all Korra could say before letting out a sob.

Tonroq raised his head to look at Len, who stood a few feet away, nodding his head.

“She’s here alright,” Len spoke up softly, earning a shocked expression from Korra. Len ran to her and threw herself on her knees, engulfing Korra in a big hug.

“By the spirits,” Korra chocked on a sob against Len’s neck, “They told me you were dead, I couldn’t believe it, but you’re here!”

Everyone stood there in silence, smiles on their faces as the two girls reunited. Len pressed several kisses to Korra’s forehead, comforting the crying girl, letting her own tears fall. Korra clutched to Len’s torn, dirty clothes as if for dear life.

“Do you really think I’d ever leave you, turtle duck? My family didn’t raise a weakling,” Len chuckled through the tears, making Korra smile in return.

After taking care of Zaheer, they returned to Republic City. For the next couple of weeks, Len and Korra were glued to each other. It was Len who helped Korra get around on a wheelchair, it was Len who helped her get dressed, and it was Len who was able to bring a smile to Korra’s lips every time they were together.

After the ceremony, Korra decided to return to the Southern Water Tribe to recover. Len and Asami were more than happy to offer their company, but Korra thought it would be best if she spent a few weeks alone.

Just like Asami, Mako, and Bolin, Len often wrote to Korra like they used to. She didn’t expect to get an answer; she knew Korra wasn’t answering anyone. Still, she wanted her dearest friend to know just how much she thought and cared about her.

Until one day, she got a letter back.

_“I’m sorry I haven’t written back for the past three weeks, but I really needed some time away from everyone and everything. Not being able to walk really took a toll on me, and these constant visions of Zaheer attacking me only make it worst._

_I miss you, Len. When’s the next time you’re going to visit?_

_With love,_

_Your turtle duck.”_

Len left on that same day, eager to see Korra, and little did she know that was the best decision she had ever made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This sort of has a continuation and it has lots of cute
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated! 💙


	7. Insulting Trauma (Sen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula hires a professional to help Sen overcome her trauma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes time before the Avatar returns.

“Sen, come here,” Azula called out for her friend.

Sen rushed to Azula’s side, quickly getting down in one knee in front of her: a demonstration of loyalty and servitude towards the princess. Azula would always feel flustered when Sen did that but had learned how to mask her emotions.

“We’re indoors and alone, you know you don’t have to do that,” the princess huffed, crossing her arms in hopes to come off as indifferent.

Sen stood up and held her hands behind her back, waiting for Azula to speak once more. Before she could, however, a soldier entered the indoor training grounds and bowed.

“Your right-hand girl’s new sparring partner has arrived, princess,” he affirmed.

“Let her in,” Azula waved him off.

Sen furrowed her brows, a wave of sadness washing over her. Was Azula disappointed with her skills?

Azula let out a small sigh and looked up until she met Sen’s eyes, but the moment she saw just how conflicted she seemed, she looked away. The princess took hold of Sen’s right hand with both hands and focused on it.

“I know just how much your trauma has been affecting you for the past three years, Sen. Every time you fight someone who isn’t me, you crumble,” Azula said with a soft voice, letting her thumb caress her knuckles. “I found this person at some sort of tournament and learned that she is one of Master Anuman’s best students. I know she will be able to help you.”

“If you think that’s what I need, your highness, I’ll do it,” Sen replied with confidence. “I’ll go get ready.”

Azula stood there watching Sen leave. She knew very well what Sen was capable of, never having disappointed her before, but ever since the trauma started, Sen couldn’t fight like before. Azula blamed herself for her closest friend’s trauma, something she could never forgive herself for. Had she kept her mouth shut, Sen would still be able to fight.

Soon after Sen left, a girl wearing a fox mask walked into the training grounds. She was buff and it was clear to the eye that she had definitely been in the war. She seemed to be around Sen’s age, but the war really did take a toll on her.

“Hello, Foxy,” Azula greeted shortly, arms crossed and chin up.

“Hey, Dragon,” the girl crossed her arms over her chest. “If I recall, you want me here to train someone, right?”

“Correct. It’s my right-hand woman. She’s been having a couple of issues battling for the past three years. We’re leaving in a couple of months and I want her to be able to fight without losing her focus and crumbling.”

“What do you mean by ‘crumbling’?” inquired Foxy.

“Sen has an issue when it comes to battling anyone that isn’t me. I have assigned a few of my soldiers to spar with her when I can’t but every time I arrive, I see her curled on the floor,” Azula replied with a somewhat harsh voice, clenching her jaw a little afterwards.

_Control yourself_ , Azula thought.

“Well, that’s useless. Why was she assigned as your right-hand woman if she can’t fight anyone but the person she’s supposed to protect?” Foxy asked with a huff, resting her hands on her hips.

Azula glared at her. “She’s my right-hand woman because I personally chose her.”

“Alright, alright, Dragon,” Foxy put her hands in the air as if asking for peace.

It didn’t take very long for Sen to return with her sparring clothes. She speed-walked towards Azula and the stranger, extending her hand to shake the new girl’s. Foxy introduced herself as did Sen, both walking to the middle of the training grounds to start their sparring session. Azula sat not too far away, crossing her left leg over her right one.

The sparring match started rather well. Sen was able to dodge and retrieve the attacks just as well, yet it was possible to see that she was holding back. Most of her attacks were created by kicks and leg swings, sending fire slashes and shots towards Foxy.

Foxy was easily avoiding the attacks and providing her own. She quickly took notice of Sen’s lack of hand attacks and decided she would start from there. From what Azula told her before, Sen was the type to never back down from a challenge so perhaps that was a good thing to start from.

“Come on now, are all your attacks kicks?” Foxy shouted as she jumped to avoid a fire whip. “Use those hot hands of yours! Hah! See what I did there?”

“What?” Sen inquired with a confused look.

“Hothands! Your nickname is now hothands!”

“O-Okay,” Sen muttered hesitantly raising her arms for a battle position.

She threw a few punches, although weak, and let herself grow light on her feet. The moment Foxy crouched to dodge an attack, Sen gasped and lost her footing. Foxy charged towards her, easily hitting her on the chest, sending Sen to the ground with a large thud. She gasped for air with her hand on her chest.

“Hey, you okay?” Foxy looked down at Sen with a tilted head, offering her hand to help her up after a couple of seconds.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Sen replied and stood up with her help. “Let’s do it again.”

The princess let out an audible sigh, which made the two girls look over at her. With a huff, she waved them off.

Unfortunately, Sen wasn’t able to recompose herself. Her movements were clumsy and messy to the point she would trip on her feet, but she wouldn’t fall. A couple of hours passed, and Sen was thrown to the ground for the 4th time in a row. Every single time she stood up, though, Azula could see her friend’s lips moving.

Azula would slightly flinch in her seat but put on a façade to hide her true emotions. Every single time Sen would fall, memories played in her head. She blamed herself for this, if only she hadn’t said anything out loud but how could she predict what would happen?

Day after day, the sparring sessions ended the exact same way. Sen would start flawlessly and kept her posture, but she would lose her focus out of nowhere. She didn’t understand what Foxy did that always threw her friend off.

Fall after fall, Sen started to grow frustrated. The insults Foxy threw at her didn’t help at all either, it only made her pissed off.

It had been a week since they had started training. At the end of the session, Foxy reported back to Azula as usual. The princess wasn’t able to watch that day’s match but the look on Sen’s face on her way out, she could only assume it hadn’t gone well. Before she could speak to her, Sen turned her back to Azula and rushed to her bedroom.

 _Why did that hurt so much?_ Azula thought to herself.

“Listen, Dragon,” Foxy sighed and crossed her arms, walking towards Azula, “Hothands is still as cool as ice when it comes to fighting. There’s been little to no improvement.

“The sparring is getting nowhere, and she doesn’t seem to snap out of it. Do you still want me to continue sparring with her, or should I get a new assassination assigned?”

“You will continue to spar with her until I see fit. I just want her to look past those… those visions she has,” Azula said harshly. The way Sen looked at her was still on her mind; she looked so upset.

Foxy seemed to take a double-take at what Azula just said. Visions? “You kind of forgot to tell me she’s in a fantasy world, Dragon. Any ideas what they could be about?”

Azula’s lips thinned, her eyebrows furrowing. Of course she knew.

“I do,” she paused, clearing her throat. “Sen’s mother was very aggressive and abusive towards her, forbidding her from firebending in her house. As she grew up, the situation got worse… I told my father that she was a good firebender, so he desired for Sen to train by my side.

“For many years, Sen stayed with us. She learned how to firebend properly thanks to my father and I’d like to think I played a part in it too,” Azula trailed off with a small smile, something Foxy caught in a second.

“Okay… go on,” the older girl muttered. _Don’t think I didn’t see that, Dragon._

“She came home one day and when she came back, she was covered in bruises. I told father that I was tired of that wretched woman and he took matters into his own hands,” Azula pinched the bridge of her nose as if trying to hold back something. “My father made Sen battle her and the moment she tried to attack Sen by waterbending, he forced her to execute her own mother.”

Silent filled the large room.

Foxy seemed to be deep in thought. So that explained Sen’s behaviour! She had noticed that the moment she would crouch to dodge or prepare to attack her, Sen would widen her eyes and back away from her.

“I have an idea, but you might not like this,” the masked girl said.

“What is it you have in mind?” asked Azula with an arched brow. Anything that could help Sen improve would be very much welcomed, not that Azula would be caught saying those things out loud, of course.

“By sparking her memories. She had to execute, most of those have someone kneeling. I noticed she loses her focus when I kneel for an attack, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Foxy suggested while making movements with her hands, as if to demonstrate what was on her mind. “Force her to confront her past, you see.”

“But wouldn’t that just make her lose her focus on the spot?” Azula wasn’t very fond of the idea of having Foxy force Sen’s past by kneeling more often, but it was worth a try.

“That’s where the second part of the plan comes in. The part you won’t like,” the other girl said.

“Spit it out already, Foxy, I don’t have all day,” Azula demanded harshly.

Foxy held her hands together behind her back in an attempt to conceal how fidgety she was at the idea. She didn’t want to do it, but she learned from Sen’s actions that it might push her enough.

"I uh... insult her and piss her off. More than usual, at least.”

Azula was a bit thrown off at the suggestion. She had heard the kind of harsh words Foxy would tell Sen to try and push her before. She didn’t like what she heard at all but perhaps it could really help Sen.

Hesitantly, Azula turned to Foxy, “Is there nothing else you can do asides that?”

“Sen only gets into any type of fighting when she’s angry. That’s how she’s been improving, Dragon, and that’s because I keep poking, and poking bringing her to a boil. If I do this, it’ll only push her more, and hopefully make her snap out of it,” Foxy sighed, arms crossed once more.

“If it means she’ll improve then alright but… don’t take it too far. The very few times I’ve seen her battle someone else and forget about the trauma were not pretty,” Azula nodded her head towards Foxy as a goodbye and turned on her heels, making her way to the door.

“Don’t worry about me, Dragon. I’ve taken worse,” she says grimly before giving her a two-finger salute when the princess looked back at her.

Azula would be lying if she said she didn’t feel upset. Sen avoided her throughout the rest of the day and stayed inside her bedroom until dinner time. When she joined the family for dinner, she took her usual seat by Azula’s side but never said anything. Once she was done, she excused herself and returned to her room. 

For the next couple of days, Foxy put her plan into action. She would kneel more often, and the insults kept on coming, one after the other. 

“Seriously, hothands, is that all you’ve got? Thought you were better,” Foxy would say before punching Sen’s chest, sending the girl to the ground with a loud thud.  
Towards the end of the sparring session, it was clear that Sen was beyond furious. Azula herself flinched at some of Foxy’s insults, her lips thinning. How could I agree to this, she thought.

Foxy came up with another idea. She knew from Azula that Sen was incredibly protective of her and would do anything to keep her safe. Even if they were sparring, surely, she could use Azula to get Sen’s attention. But first, she needed to lure Azula to be closer to the training grounds.

“Somehow you got this far with only this. You’ve been truly going through life easy,” she scoffed, earning a growl from Sen. “You probably didn’t have to do anything in your life.”

She kneeled for an incoming attack, which caused Sen to gasp and back away from Foxy.

“You’re a disgrace, you don’t deserve to be the princess’s right-hand woman if you keep going like this.”

That was what made Azula stand up and walk towards them. Her eyes were a pool of emotions, mainly anger. She felt awful for allowing Foxy to insult Sen, even if it sounded like a good idea then, it surely didn’t sound like one now. Before she could stop the sparring, Foxy turned to Azula with a small nod. _Play along._

Sen’s eyes darted between the princess and the fox, eyes wide as plates. It was true, she felt like a disappointment to Azula and that she was not worthy of being by her side. How could she? Sen could only fight the one person she had to protect!

“You’re being weak. Open right for Azula,” Foxy mutters and takes a step closer to the princess. “And nothing you can do to protect her, and you know why? You took life easy, hothands.”

Foxy took another step forward, slowly raising her swords towards Azula. The princess kept her chin up with a cold look in her eyes.

“So what are you going to do, hothands?!” Foxy shouted, one sword underneath Azula’s chin.

Sen let out an angry scoff, fists clenching. “Don’t you dare touch her.”

“Oh would you look at that, she’s-“ Foxy was cut off by an unexpected fire whip from Sen, barely dodging it by jumping, all the while pulling the swords back.

Sen threw attack after attack, all with her feet. She was angry, no, she was livid, eyes brimming with tears. The insults echoed through her head nonstop. Before Foxy could point out the lack of hand attacks, Sen conjured a fire bomb using her hands and threw it towards Foxy. Before it reached her, however, Sen made it explode and went through it, pinning Foxy to the wall forcefully. 

Azula had a wide smile on her face, eyes never leaving Sen’s back. She did it!

“You want to piss me off, didn’t you?” Sen growled as small embers left her mouth.

Foxy was honestly surprised, yet she felt proud.

“And keep my voice stuck in your head. When you’re on the battlefield, think of me. Maybe then you’ll actually be able to protect the princess.”

Sen backed away from Foxy with a deep scowl, but it soon turned into a broken expression.

“You’re right, though. I’m not worthy of being the princess’ right hand,” the firebender’s voice broke halfway through, tears spilling.

Azula widened her eyes at her friend’s words. Her mind raced with thoughts of Sen leaving her and not seeing her again. _No, she would never do that, right? She promised me she would never leave me,_ Azula thought, _she can’t leave me. No, she c-can’t…!_

“What are you talking about? You would have killed a man if not for a mask!” Foxy exclaims as she takes off her mask, wiping her face only to find it bleeding a little. “It was a good punch!”

“I can’t take this anymore! For nearly two weeks I had to hear every single day how weak and useless I am. Don’t you think I know that? Azula deserves so much better than me, after all who would want a traumatized soldier standing as their right-hand in combat?!” Sen screamed in frustration, turning her back to them and leaving the training grounds.

Azula looked between the two older girls and trailed after Sen. She didn’t even knock, simply opened her bedroom door and walking in. Sen was opening her top drawer and taking a couple of shirts out. Before she could, Azula ran to her and wrapped her arms around Sen’s body, pressing her head to her back.

“Please,” she whispered, “don’t leave me…”

Sen stopped what she was doing and looked at the mirror to her right side, noticing how Azula cried against her back. She turned around gently so Azula’s arms remained around her, and looked down at the princess.

“Your highness, you deserve so much better,” Sen whispered as she placed her hand on Azula’s shoulders.

“We deserve each other, Sen. Please, please don’t leave me,” Azula didn’t care if Sen saw her cry, she trusted her that much. “I shouldn’t have let Foxy insult you, but we saw how much you were improving through it and… and I-“

“Azula…” Sen whispered softly, cupping Azula’s cheeks with her calloused hands. The princess leaned against Sen’s touch and let the tears fall, placing her slightly smaller hands over Sen’s. 

“Please don’t leave,” Azula whispered over and over again. She couldn’t handle the thought of Sen leaving her and never coming back to the point she let some of her true feelings for the soldier come out.

“You’re so brave and strong, you put your life on the line to protect me! I shouldn’t have put you through this, I-I just wanted to help you cope with your trauma,” Azula held back a sob, her hands clutching Sen’s burned clothes. “I’m so sorry, Sen.”

Sen caressed Azula’s cheeks softly, a sweet smile on her lips as she looked down at her with fondness. “I’m sorry if I snapped back in the training grounds, I was just very frustrated… I would never leave you, Azula.”

Azula threw her arms around the taller girl and felt her return the embrace. She found herself on the tip of her toes, even if Sen wasn’t much taller than her. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink when she felt Sen’s hand on her leg, pulling it up so Azula had her legs around her waist.

 _Come on, Azula, you’re fifteen… this is normal?_ Azula thought to herself, burying her face on Sen’s neck. The older girl sat Azula over her desk, with her legs on either side of her and a big blush on her cheeks. Azula’s heart beat fast in her chest to the point she was worried Sen could both hear and feel it.

Azula would rather be caught dead than admitting how infatuated she was with the firebender and how much she wanted to be glued to her, but she had a façade to keep. She would never be caught saying how much she loved when Sen called her by her name, when she held her hands to calm her down, how much she liked her scent… Sen was her best friend, after all. Then why did Azula feel like these weren’t normal feelings to have in a friendship?

Sen gave Azula a goofy grin and poked her nose, earning a huff from the princess. She puffed her cheeks in embarrassment and offered a small smile in return. The things Sen could get her to do.

“Do you think Foxy was able to help you?” Azula asked with a curious voice.

“I did! Despite the insults and pushing me over the edge, I think she’s really helping me,” Sen replied as stepped back and took a seat on her bed, leaving Azula sitting over her desk. “She’d be fun to work with.”

“I see,” the princess hummed and jumped off the desk, hands on her hips once she landed. “Well, do you want to spar with me now?”

“I’d love to, your highness!” A big smile appeared on Sen’s lips.

Once they returned to the training grounds Sen approached Foxy, who was practicing against some dummies and extended her hand. They shook hands and spoke for a bit, Sen thanked her for the patience and saying that she’d like to continue their sparring sessions. Foxy accepted the request and hugged the firebender patting her back roughly, which made Sen cough a bit but let out a laugh in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who made a cameo in this chapter! WeirdWolf325 's Foxy!  
> I wanna thank the lovely WeirdWolf325 for being a constant inspiration and motivation (and big idea brain) for the past few days and for letting me use their Foxy as Sen's sparring partner! There might be more of these two in the future too, please go love their fics!!
> 
> Kudos and Comments are appreciated! 💙


	8. Reuniting Hearts (Len)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Len received a letter from Korra, she wasted no time on travelling to the Southern Water Tribe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes time a few weeks after Korra returned to the Southern Water Tribe to recover from the mercury poison.

It took Len a couple of days to arrive at the Southern Water Tribe. Usually, it wouldn't take that long, but Len made a few stops in several markets to buy Korra and her family some gifts. While on the air, she planned what she'd tell Korra.

Would it be too soon to tell her how she truly felt about the avatar? Certainly, Korra needed to recover from her traumatic experience, which would put more stress on her. Perhaps she could show her how much she loves her through actions, and that's precisely what she was going to go.

Len perked up on her seat on Boba's head when she spotted the Southern Water Tribe. It was quite early, the sun was still rising, so Len made sure to not make a lot of noise when landing close to the royal palace. Much to her surprise, she was greeted by Korra's mom, Senna.

"Len! Oh, it's so good to see you!" the woman speed-walked to the flying bison, opening her arms for Len. The Airbender hugged Senna with a wide smile.

"It's been so long, how are you, Senna?" Len asked with kindness, pulling away from the embrace. "I am surprised to find anyone awake at this hour, did something happen?"

"I'm quite well, thank you, dear," the waterbender woman helped Len take her things off Boba's back. "Everything's alright, I just came back from taking Korra to your grandmother's."

"How is she feeling? She sounded so upset on the letter she sent me," Len sighed. With Senna's help, Len took a bag with her clothes and a few gifts to the room she would be staying in; it was right next to Korra's.

The woman gave Len a sad smile, her shoulders slumping a little. "She's been very quiet, and I can tell just how angry she is at herself… I'm sure seeing her best friend will improve her mood. For how long will you stay this time, dear?"

"I'm not sure yet, I'll have to talk to Korra first," Len's lips thinned. "Thank you for helping me get to my room, I would've gotten lost. This palace is enormous!"

"It's my pleasure, Len. I'll let you settle in, I'm sure you're tired from the travel. If you'd like, the bathroom is down the hall," the waterbender pointed to her left and, after giving Len a tight hug, left to wait for when Korra returned. 

Len decided to go freshen up and change into a new outfit. Despite being able to control her body temperature, Len wore an outfit Korra had given her. Once she showered and got dressed, Len walked outside to wait for Korra.

She couldn't hide how excited she was to see her best friend. The longest she had been away from her was when she got her tattoos at age 17. Now that she was 20, having had her life at risk, Len hated spending more than a week away from the avatar.

 _With love, your turtle duck_. The words echoed through Len's mind making her smile. Korra didn't have a set nickname for Sen as they grew up, she did occasionally compare her to an otter penguin. When asked why she made that comparison, Korra said that Len was as cute and cuddly as one.

It got her thinking, though. Why would Korra call her by turtle duck, her turtle duck for that matter, if she had never called her that before? She was so distracted she didn't notice she was standing in front of Boba with a pile of hay, earning a grunt from the flying bison.

"Len? Is that you?"

The Airbender turned around only to find Korra, sitting on her wheelchair. Len dropped the pile of hay and rushed to her best friend, getting on her knees and pulling her for a tight hug. Korra let out a small laugh and nuzzled her face into Len's neck, taking in her friend's scent.

"Oh, Korra, it's so good to see you," Len sighed and pressed a kiss to Korra's forehead, earning another sweet smile.

"It's good to see you too," Korra replied and ran her fingers through Len's hair, ruffling it. She adored her short hair.

"Come on, let's go inside. I know you're hungry!" the Airbender exclaimed with a smile jumping high above Korra thanks to her airbending and landing right behind her wheelchair, taking hold of it.

Korra despised that she couldn't walk and do anything on her own. Still, she enjoyed Len's enthusiasm, gladly accepting the help. After a warm meal, Korra said she would go for a stroll outside and asked Len if she'd like to join her.

"I'm glad you're here, Len," Korra admitted with a sigh, hands rested on her lap and a sad expression washing over her face. "It's been insufferable…"

"I can't imagine how much it hurts," said Len with a pained smile. She pushed Korra's wheelchair as they walked without a destination.

Korra placed her hands on the wheelchair's arms and gripped them as her hair flew gently with the breeze. She told her how Zaheer kept showing up in her dreams, that he was attacking her, and she was defenseless, something that scared her immensely. Len promised Korra to be there by her side for as long as she wished her to be.

Soon her wheelchair came to a stop. Naga came running towards them and pinned Len, licking her face wherever she could and wagging her tail.

"Hey, girl!" Len chuckled and earned a laugh from Korra. Such a beautiful laugh, Len thought.

"I really miss riding Naga, it's been so long," Korra sighed and petted the polar bear dog's massive head.

An idea popped in Len's head. Len rushed to where she knew Korra kept Naga's saddle and propped it on the polar bear dog. She carefully picked up Korra in bridal style, causing the latter to instinctively wrap her arms around Len's neck, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

"Where are we going?" the avatar inquired with a confused yet excited tone.

"For a ride on Naga!"

For the next hour, Naga carried the two girls as she traveled through the tribe. Len sat Korra in front of her safely with her arms around her body, taking hold on Naga. Korra missed this so much. She missed the freedom to do whatever she wanted, but now she was confined to a wheelchair. She hadn't been this happy in a while, and it was thanks to Len's presence and comforting personality that Korra was able to smile more.

The day seemed to pass by in a flash, and before they knew it, it was night-time. While Len changed into her sleeping garments, Korra had her mother's help in changing clothes. Len stayed with Korra for a couple of minutes before wishing her a good night and standing up to leave.

"Len, wait," the Airbender turned around to look at the avatar.

"Can you please stay here, in the Water Tribe, with me for a while longer? I think that with you here, I'll be able to improve," Korra asked with a pleading tone, eyes watering slightly.

Len walked over to Korra and embraced her, running her hand through her long, soft hair. 

"I'll stay for as long as you want me to, sweetheart."

And stay she did. Len stayed by Korra side for the next few months, helping her by holding her hands to help her walk or meditate with her. 

Every day, Len and Korra would start their day with a morning stroll, meditation session, physiotherapy with parallel bars, a healthy lunch, and more parallel bars. The rest of the afternoon would be spent enjoying their free time together. Len would often take Korra on rides on Boba, knowing just how much she loved feeling the wind against her face. 

Throughout the months, Korra's nightmares seemed to increase in frequency and intensity. In one particular night, Korra dreamed about the day she was told Len was dead, consequently associating it with Zaheer.

_She could see Len's dead body in front of her, severely bruised and bleeding. Korra reached out to hold her to her chest, tears falling as she clung to her friend as if for dear life. The scenery around her changed, and suddenly she was in the same place she fought Zaheer._

_"You got her killed!" Korra screamed with tears, throwing a couple of fire shorts and boulders towards him._

_Zaheer frowned, and suddenly Korra couldn't breathe. She felt her body levitate as he tried to asphyxiate her, leading her to drop Len's body on the ground._

"No!" Korra screamed in agony. Her hands clutched the bedsheets until her knuckles turned white, her jaw was clenched in stress, and she gasped for air.

In seconds, the door of her bedroom flung open, revealing a very concerned-looking Len.

"Korra, is everything alright?" asked Len, who held her glider staff tightly in her hand. She quickly rushed to Korra's side, taking a seat right next to her.

"I saw you… you were… Zaheer…" Korra choked out the words, sitting up and letting the tears fall. She quickly held Len's hand in hers, wanting to feel her skin desperately. She needed something to remind her that Len was alive and breathing right there with her.

Len hushed her softly, pulling Korra for a tight hug. The avatar let herself cry against Len's shoulder until she calmed down. It took a while for her to calm down, but once she did, she felt safer than ever. 

The Airbender positioned herself behind Korra, so the young woman could lean against her front. At the same time, Len wrapped her arms around her stomach to keep her close. They were quiet for a while, but the silence was nothing but comfortable.

"Do you want me to stay with you for the night?" Len offered with a small smile, kissing the top of Korra's head. But she got no answer, for Korra had fallen asleep in her arms.

Despite this, Len once again offered Korra to sleep by her side the next morning, and Korra gladly accepted the offer. If it meant she'd have Len close to her, on the same bed, cuddling her? She'd be down for it in a heartbeat.

Six months had passed, and Korra didn't seem to be improving at all, according to her. The two girls were currently with Katara in the room Korra would do her physiotherapy training. While the avatar and the old woman spoke, Len stayed on the other side of the parallel bars playing with Naga.

"Whenever you're ready," Katara spoke softly, holding a warm cup of tea.

"What's the point?" Korra sighed, obviously frustrated. "We've been at this for almost six months, and I can barely take a couple of steps without collapsing."

"I know you're frustrated, but-"Katara spoke, but was quickly cut off by the avatar.

"Of course, I'm frustrated! A crazy man poisoned me, and now I can't dress myself, cook for myself, or even do anything for myself!" Korra said with a harsh voice. "And this whole time, my friends have been off helping the world while I'm stuck with you, and you can't even heal me!"

Silence filled the room. Len looked between Korra and her grandmother with a worried look, swallowing a bit of the saliva she had in her mouth. While she knew her grandmother was doing her best to help Korra, she also understood the latter's frustrations.

"That came out wrong," Korra brought a hand to her face, sighing.

"It's alright. Let your anger and frustration flow like water," the older waterbender said calmly, setting down her teacup and standing up, walking towards Korra.

"I am trying to understand why this happened to me, but nothing makes any sense. I'm tired, Katara…" the avatar leaned back on her wheelchair, sadness washing over her. "I'm so tired…"

Len stood up using Naga's help, remaining silent throughout the entire conversation. She sent Korra a small comforting smile in hopes it would cheer her up a little. Katara sat on her knees in front of Korra, a kind smile forming on her lips.

"Korra, I know you feel alone right now, but you're not the first avatar who's had to overcome great suffering," the kind woman spoke. "Can you imagine how much pain Aang felt when he learned that his entire culture was taken from him?"

"That must've been so awful," replied Korra with a sad look.

"But he never let it destroy his spirit. He chose to find meaning in his suffering," Katara continued as she rested a hand on top of Korra's. "And eventually, found peace."

"And what am I going to find if I get through this?"

"I don't know, but won't it be interesting to find out," finished Katara with a loving smile.

Korra looked up, and her eyes landed on Len, who was back to playing with Naga. She felt her heart thumping in her chest when Len turned around and met her eyes. The Airbender had been there throughout Korra's life, she was her childhood friend, her best friend, the person she had fallen in love with.

 _I can't quit now_ , Korra thought to herself.

With renewed strength, Korra stood up and used the parallel bars to keep herself steady. She gulped a little and looked at the floor, taking in a deep breath.

"Close your eyes," Katara whispered. "Visualize yourself walking over to Len and Naga. Can you see it?"

"Yes," replied Korra as her body started to shake.

"Now… take that first step."

With as much strength as she could, Korra focused on visualizing herself walking. She was able to take the first step, that she could do, and then another step. She thought about all the time she ran to Naga and jumped on her for rides and how she would run to Len for a hug. 

Korra gasped when she nearly went down, trying to keep herself up with as much strength as possible. Looking up, she met Len's grey eyes. She could get lost in those eyes for hours, thinking about all of their moments together. One, in particular, echoed in her mind.

_Please, my turtle duck, don't leave me._

Korra groaned and found herself taking another couple of steps, a big smile forming on her lips as she reached the parallel bars' end. She nearly collapsed, but Len was quick to catch her, holding her close.

"I'm so proud of you, Korra."

After they finished having dinner, Korra asked Len if they could talk. Len felt nervous at the request but agreed to it, pushing Korra's wheelchair towards her room. Korra seemed nervous as well if her fidgety fingers were anything to go by.

After helping the avatar change into her sleeping garments and changing into her own, Len took a seat next to Korra.

"I don't think I ever told you just how heartbroken I was when I was told you were dead, Len," Korra whispered, gaze fixed on her own hands.

"Oh, sweetheart, we don't need to talk about that," the Airbender rested her hand over Korra's with a comforting smile. She had told her that she often had nightmares of that day, so Len knew it was a sensitive subject.

"No, Len, we have to. I have to. When I found out you wouldn't be here anymore, I wanted to destroy everything! They had to stop me from going into the avatar state I-"

"Korra…" Len whispered with a gentle tone, using her thumb to carefully wipe away Korra's tears.

"I couldn't believe you were gone, my cute otter penguin Airbender was gone for good, and I didn't have the chance to tell her just how much I love her," Korra cried. To comfort her, Len pulled Korra to sit on her lap, staying face to face with her.

Korra leaned her forehead against Len's for support, tears falling down her cheeks.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you when they beat me and threw me in jail. I needed to get to you before Zaheer did, I needed to warn you, I needed to see you," Len muttered with a sad voice, memories flashing in her mind.

"But I never gave up. I couldn't, because if I gave up on myself, I'd be giving up on you, your safety, my family's safety, our friends' lives… While in my cell, I remembered when we were in Zaofu and told each other about our childhood crushes."

Hearing about that memory made Korra smile, easing the pain in her chest. How could she forget that day? Len held her so close as if she let go, Korra would disappear forever.

"I have to be honest with you, Korra. I…" Len took a deep inhale, "I… I've been in love with you for a year now, and I can't get over it.

"I couldn't keep you off my mind while on that cell, but also out of it. You're always on my mind, Korra…" Len whispered with her eyes closed. Korra's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, her mouth slightly agape. Len was in love with her?!

"I love you, Korra."

The avatar was in a state of shock. After all this time, Len returned her feelings. Both their hearts were beating fast, threatening to burst out. Before she could even think, Korra grabbed Len's face and kissed her.

Len's eyes opened in shock, but just as quickly as they widened, she closed them, returning the kiss. She ran her fingers through Korra's soft, long hair and took in the feeling of her lips on hers. They were soft and sweet from the dessert they had for dinner.

Korra pulled back briefly to breathe, a small smile on her lips.

"I love you," she whispered before pulling the Airbender for another kiss, her arms wrapping around Len's shoulders.

The Airbender wrapped her arms around Korra's waist, pulling her closer until she was completely pressed against her chest. The kiss grew deep as the seconds passed. Len gently lay Korra on her back, crawling to her side without breaking their embrace. They looked into each other's eyes, breathing slowly, foreheads touching.

"Be mine?" Korra inquired with a soft voice, one hand coming down to caress Len's scarred cheek.

Len smiled warmly and pressed a long, affectionate kiss to her cheek.

"I've always been yours, my turtle duck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated! 💙


	9. First Dance (Sen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being defeated by the Avatar and failing to take Ba Sing Se Azula is comforted by Sen, and the two do something Azula never thought she was capable of doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes time right after the drilling into Ba Sing Se.

Right after the Fire Nation's drilling machine had connected with the massive wall that protected Ba Sing Se, it started to display some mechanical errors. The back of the device rumbled and came to a stop, flooding with mud.

Azula was furious. She refused to fail this, she refused to disappoint her father. Azula knew she was more than capable of achieving this in the name of the Fire Nation, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. 

"Your highness?!" Sen shouted from inside the machine, not finding Azula anywhere.

"The princess is on top of the machine, lieutenant," a soldier that was passing by shouted.

Sen cursed under her breath and jumped to reach a ladder, pulling it down and climbing it to reach an exit on the machine's roof. 

Just as she exited it, Sen caught a glimpse of Avatar Aang running up the wall. Her eyes darted towards a massive spike-shaped rock and immediately figured out what his plan was. She finished climbing out and steadied herself on the moving machine, looking for Azula. She stood right next to one of the spike pillars that seemed to connect the machine's different divisions.

When Azula came to view, she tried to throw fire at Aang to keep him from reaching the spiked rock. Her attempts were in vain, her blue flame missed Aang by just a second. Once the boy hit the rock, a strong gust of wind pushed Azula back.

"Princess!" Sen shouted and caught her before she could be blasted off the machine, pulling her as she hid them behind one of the pillars. Sen held her close to her front until the coast was clear, and the Avatar was gone.

Azula pushed herself off Sen's arms and grunted, wiping the mud off her clothes with gritted teeth. Her frown and tense jaw displayed anger and frustration, but her eyes were a pool of emotions.

"Are you alright, your highness? That was quite a blast," asked Sen with a worried look, helping the princess dust her clothes.

Azula sent her a hard look, but soon it slightly softened when she saw how worried Sen was over her well-being.

"I'm fine," Azula muttered and turned her back to Sen. "Thank you for pulling me to safety."

Sen smiled and bowed her head even if Azula couldn't see her. No matter how forced that appreciation sounded, Sen gladly accepted it. She knew Azula hated being helped, but it was her job to keep her safe and healthy.

"Let's go, Sen. We need to find a way to return to camp and prepare our next move," Azula said sternly, hands behind her back.

"I already took care of that, princess. When I heard the explosions on the back, I ordered a few soldiers to prepare the evacuation train. It's ready to leave," stated Sen.

"Good work. Let us go then."

Once they were inside the train, Azula retreated to her designated room. She told Sen she'd like some time alone, but the lieutenant wouldn't have any of that. Even if Azula tried to push her friend away, Sen was taller and physically stronger than she was, so it was easy for her to push the door open and make herself at home.

"Don't get the floor dirty, you still have some mud on you," Azula grunted and took a seat on a chair by her desk, moving to grab a few papers.

Azula's attention was set on the papers as she read some of them and signed others. Her mind wandered to the girl that sat not too far away from her after a while.

_Why won't she leave me alone? I sometimes wish she wouldn't give me all her attention_ , Azula thought to herself, but then her lips curled into a small smile. _She does look cute being so worried over my well-being… she gives me the attention nobody else has ever given me._

Azula momentarily remembered the times they spent together as children, and another smile crawled onto her lips. Then her father came into mind. He would surely be disappointed with her failed attempt to take Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation. She tensed up and rubbed her face with her hand slowly as if by doing that, the stress would vanish.

"Your highness, are you alright?" Sen inquired with a soft, tired voice.

"I am perfectly fine," replied Azula.

"No, you're not," Sen said with a matter-of-fact voice.

"Excuse me?" Azula looked over her shoulder, one hand gripping a brush.

"I know you, Azula," Sen sighed and stood up.

There's that informality that both infuriated and made Azula feel like an average human. Of course, Sen knew she wasn't okay. If a lifetime of being by Azula's side ever since she was born hadn't given the ability to instantly see when the princess wasn't okay, then what kind of friend and right-hand in battle would she be?

"Father will be angry- no- disappointed once he hears we failed, that I failed," Azula muttered finally, shoulders slumping.

"You were very close to succeeding, though. If it hadn't been for the Avatar, we would've broken into Ba Sing Se," the lieutenant attempted to comfort the princess, standing up in the process.

"Close isn't good enough! You know that, Sen!" Azula clenched her jaw.

"Your highness, you did something nobody else has ever done," Sen said with confidence, placing a hand over Azula's right shoulder. "You brought a giant drilling machine, and you succeeded in creating a massive hole on their wall!

"With all due respect, you accomplished something not even your father, the Firelord, could've done!" the girl said with enthusiasm, borderline dramatic.

Azula looked over her shoulder at Sen's hand, then slowly looked up until she met her friend's eyes. Sen looked at her with confidence and had a big smile on her lips. 

_What would I do without you? You keep bringing me up when I'm down_ , Azula thought to herself.

It seemed that small pep talk didn't ease off the princess's mind. Azula was once again looking at Sen's hand, not finding it in herself to continue looking into her bright blue eyes any longer. Her hands were severely scarred, and some were going up to her now bare arms, coating Sen's slightly tanned skin.

Eventually, Azula stood up and flipped her bangs with a huff, something Sen found utterly adorable. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't caught a liking to the princess, more than a friend and comrade should.

"Princess?"

"Yes?" Azula turned to look at Sen.

Sen stood in front of her, a few inches taller, and extended her hand towards Azula. The princess looked between the extended hand and Sen's face, her eyebrows knitting in confusion. Did she want to hold hands? It wasn't all that uncommon between them. Still, Azula reserved those actions whenever her friend had an attack, using those small demonstrations of affection to help Sen calm down.

"Will you dance with me?" asked Sen with a small, yet confident smile.

"D-Dance?" Azula stuttered. "Why would we dance in a situation like this? There's nothing to celebrate."

"Come on, your highness! A princess should know how to dance and have fun," replied Sen.

"I'm not a normal princess, you know that. I'm a warrior princess, I don't have time for fun and childish dances," Azula muttered out with a quiet tone, almost as if she were upset at the own words she said.

"That's about to change then," the firebender said with thinned lips.

"But…"

"Please, Azula. I assure you this will get your mind off things and clear your head," Sen said with a gentle smile, her hand still extended towards Azula. "How will you keep making us so proud if your pretty head is always racing?"

Azula felt her cheeks heat up the slightest at the praise and compliment, raising her hand to her chest hesitantly. She extended her hand slowly, nearly touching Sen's scarred hand. Before she did, however, she pulled back just a little.

"Sen I… I don't know how to dance," Azula whispered embarrassedly.

"I'll teach you, you can trust me," Sen assured her with a big grin, blue eyes glinting with mirth.

Azula finally placed her hand over Sen's and felt her cheeks heat up when the firebender gently took hold of her hand, letting her thumb caress her knuckles.

Sen knew how much Azula needed to be touched and held with care, something she didn't get from her parents, and she knew just how much the princess loved having her hands held. Holding her hand in hers, she extended her arm a little to the side while she wrapped her arm around Azula's torso respectfully.

"Place your hand on my shoulder," Sen motioned with her chin. Azula swallowed a bit of saliva and did as she was told. "This is what you would call a more formal form of dancing. There's not enough room in here, so that's the best option for now."

"Okay…"

"Now," Sen straightened her back into the right posture and exhaled. "I will move my feet, all you have to do is do what I do, okay?"

Azula nodded, remaining quiet.

Sen moved her left foot to the side, Azula following suite, and then the right foot joined the left foot. She rotated their bodies, so they'd dance around the room, never remaining on the same spot.

"You're doing great, your highness," Sen praised with a small smile, earning one in return from Azula. No matter how many times Azula would accidentally step over one of Sen's feet, the latter never complained nor shouted at her. Instead, Sen would let out a small chuckle.

"What's next?" Azula inquired with a somewhat curious voice.

"Now, we twirl a little!"

"We wh-"Azula gasped when Sen held their hands above her head, gently spun her twice, and held her against her chest.

Azula blinked twice and looked up at her friend, biting back a smile from the action. When she realized just how close they were, she pushed herself back a little.

"Now it's my turn, do you think you can repeat what I did?"

"Of course," Azula smirked and rose their hands above Sen's head. She couldn't reach as high as Sen did since Azula was shorter, but Sen bent her body a little to be able to spin a couple of times, never letting go of Azula's hand.

"Perfect, princess," Sen chuckled. "Are you enjoying this?"

"Oddly enough, yes."

"What we're going to do now is," Sen took hold of Azula's hand that sat on her shoulder and removed it But, she never let go of the other hand. "We're going to step away from each other enough until our arms are both extended."

Sen demonstrated what Azula had to do, backing away enough so the only way to keep their hands connected was thanks to her stretched arm. Azula mimicked her, looking at Sen when she was in position.

"Now spin your way back to me, like this," Sen said with a chuckle and spun her way towards Azula in a way Azula's arm was wrapped around her waist. She returned to her former position.

"Don't be afraid, your highness, I don't bite," Sen teased with a smirk.

"As if I'd ever be afraid of you," Azula scoffed and puffed her cheeks. The princess swallowed the lump in her throat and imitated her friend as best as she could, spinning her way to her.

Sen wrapped her arm around Azula's body and let out a joyful laugh that even made Azula let out a small laugh herself. What a beautiful sound, Sen thought to herself.

"Excellent, Azula," the firebender praised.

"Can we do that again?" Azula asked with a much happier voice, returning to her former position.

"Of course!" Sen gave her a lopsided grin. "Come at me, show me what you got!"

Azula repeated the same dance move with a lot more confidence than before. Another small smirk formed on her lips, enjoying the fact she was doing it right. 

"Let's add in some more enthusiasm! Can you keep up with me?" Sen smirked and returned to their first position.

"Try me," Azula returned the smirk. What she didn't expect, however, was to have Sen sing a broken tune and humming along to a song they would hear during parties at the palace.

Sen's body became loose, and Azula mimicked her, swaying to the firebender's broken tunes. They moved around the room at a much faster pace, more enthusiastic, which resulted in the princess letting out a genuine laugh.

That laugh was music to Sen's ears.

The older firebender eventually taught her some of her favorite dance moves, some basic moves she had learned from street dancers from the Fire Nation. Azula seemed to learn those quickly and repeated the basic moves Sen taught her in near perfection before they returned to the more formal type of dance.

Sen began moving her shoulders as she danced with Azula, holding her close. They practically jumped while dancing when alternating positions and dance moves. Azula twirled, jumped, and even got on Sen's back while Sen continued her broken songs.

At some point, Azula wrapped her arms around Sen's shoulders, holding onto her while the two danced like a couple of idiots. Throughout this entire time, Azula could not stop laughing; it was so genuine it was innocent.

When they finally stopped, they were both breathless and laughing with each other. Azula brought a hand to her hair and flipped her bangs, her eyes crinkling in the most adorable way as she could not stop smiling.

"After we're done, we bow to our partner as a thank you, and sometimes kiss their hands," the lieutenant said while bowing for Azula. Surprisingly enough, Azula returned the bow happily. 

Sen gently took Azula’s hand in hers and pressed a kiss on her knuckles, causing the princess to look away as a blush formed on her cheeks.

"You did amazing, Azula," Sen praised her and bowed once again in a rather dramatic way, as if she were doing a theatre bow, twirling her hand as she did so.

"That was a lot more fun than I expected," the princess chuckled and crossed her arms in front of her chest, a genuine smile setting on her lips. "Thank you for this, Sen."

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't get my favorite person to laugh?" Sen said with a goofy grin and looked towards the door. This caused Azula's cheeks to flush even more.

"Come on, let us go eat something. All this dancing made me hungry," Azula replied with a much calmer voice, but the smile never left her lips.

Sen nodded and walked right behind Azula as they walked out of her room. She was surprised when Azula waited and walked by her side as if she considered Sen worthy enough to walk next to her instead of behind her.

After all, Sen took her mind off her fears of disappointing her father, took her mind off the need to be perfect. A princess never quits, she never backs down, and Azula knew that with Sen by her side, she would never go down. Sen was her shadow; she watched her every step to keep the princess safe and put an end to someone's life if it meant that Azula was safe.

Perhaps having all of Sen's undivided attention was becoming something Azula enjoyed greatly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was honestly the most fun I've ever had writing a chapter before! I think I'm finally grasping Sen and Azula better
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated! 💙


	10. Royal Flu (Sen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Azula's hunting team tracks down the Avatar's flying bison and fight the Kyoshi Warriors, the princess falls sick and needs to be taken care of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happens after Azula defeats the Kyoshi Warriors.

It had been a couple of days since the Fire Nation failed to take Ba Sing Se under their name. Once the Firelord was informed of the incident, he ordered Azula to continue searching for the Avatar and put an end to his life.

It was known that Aang had lost his flying bison, Appa, and that he was shedding white fur everywhere he passed by. In the kitchen section of the tank train, Sen was preparing dinner while the princess had excused herself to go freshen up. Ty Lee and Mai were sitting in the dining area reserved for Azula and her team.

After Azula's little incident with poisonous wild berries, the princess assigned Sen to become her team's personal chef. Azula was frankly pleasantly surprised to find out her right-hand was such a fantastic cook and a fun dancer. She also admittedly had a lot of fun learning how to prepare the fish Sen had caught when they were lost.

A soldier came rushing into the kitchen, panting hard. Sen looked up from her frying pan and arched her brow, a silent question.

"We have spotted more fur tracks; it seems the flying creature is nearby. Should I alert the princess?" the soldier bowed for Sen.

"No need. I'll let her know. Thank you," Sen gave the man the smallest of smiles and placed the food in four plates, then covered each of them with a metallic protector to keep the food warm.

Sen cleaned her hands on her apron before removing it and hanging it on the wall, then made her way to Azula's bedroom. After four firm knocks, the door swung open, revealing Azula in a more casual outfit with no armor on. Her hair was still somewhat wet, indicating she had just gotten out of her shower.

"Are you going to stand there staring at me, or are you going to talk?" Azula questioned with a somewhat harsh voice, crossing her arms.

Sen widened her eyes and sputtered a little, being caught off guard admiring the princess' freshened up visual. She cleared her throat and chuckled.

"As much as I enjoy admiring the princess, we do have a new lead on the flying bison," the lieutenant said with a smile. "It seems there are more frequent patches of fur, which indicates the animal is very close."

"Perfect," Azula cleared her throat, never mind the small blush that formed on her cheeks at her friend's words. "Then we shall go find it right away."

"What? Princess, you just took a shower, and it is freezing outside," Sen furrowed her brows, lips thinning. "Let's have dinner first and then go after the flying bison, shall we?"

"There's no time to waste, Sen. Gather Ty Lee and Mai at the exit, I will be there in five minutes," Azula affirmed and closed the door.

Sen blinked and sighed, shoulders slumping as she joined the other two team members. She informed them of Azula's attack plan and walked them to the exit of the tank train, where they waited for the princess.

Precisely five minutes passed when Azula arrived. She had her armor back on, and her hair was messily tied up in a bun. Sen let out a small chuckle and walked behind the princess, poking a few strands of hair that spiked out of the topknot.

"May I?"

Azula simply huffed and crossed her arms, head still. Sen carefully undid the princess' messy bun and tied it just the way she knew Azula liked it, sliding her headpiece back in place.

"Your highness, your hair is still a bit wet, shouldn't we-"

"I told my father we would capture this flying bison. And that's exactly what we're going to do," Azula interrupted the lieutenant and opened the door once the train came to a stop. Sen let out a small sigh and held the door open for the girls to walk out.

It was quite dark and cold outside, the wind gently rustled through the tree leaves and bushes, the sound of crickets giving them some ambiance as the team searched for the flying bison. It didn't take them very long to reach a rather large pile of white fur. Azula examined the trail the fur left, and just as she was going to track it, she sneezed.

Once. Twice.

Sen reached inside her pant's pockets and pulled out a handkerchief so white it resembled snow. She handed it over to Azula, who took it to blow her nose.

"This stupid fur, getting everywhere and making me sneezes," the princess grunted and kicked some fur out of her way.

Soon enough, they reached an open area with what seemed to be a small cave. Sen spotted a group of women trying to calm down Appa, recognizing their face paint right away. Ty Lee was about to gasp and comment on the girls' makeup but was effectively shut up by Mai's hand, who looked unimpressed and bored.

"The Kyoshi Warriors must've followed the fur tracks as well," Sen whispered and peeked from behind the large bush. "We should proceed with caution, princess, they're very skilled fighters."

"Nonsense, I can take them," Azula chuckled darkly, but felt two pairs of eyes staring at her.

"You mean we," Mai arched her brow.

"Four is better than one, Azula," Ty Lee pouted.

Azula huffed and ran a hand through her bangs, eliciting a small hum from Sen. She enjoyed it when the princess did that, something Azula had realized and made sure to do rather often.

"Fine,  _ we _ can do it. Now, let's go before those girls let the flying bison escape!" Azula demanded and stood up, making her way towards the Kyoshi Warriors.

Needless to say, a fight unfolded. The Kyoshi Warriors did everything they could to keep Azula's hunting team from reaching Appa, and they succeeded. Suki managed to distract them long enough to chase off the flying bison. Once Azula taunted, both girls engaged in battle.

Sen stood by Ty Lee's side as she dodged every attack the small group threw at her. She didn't see them as enemies, they had done nothing wrong towards Azula in specific, so Sen saw no need to use force. Not that she thought she was capable of throwing a fire attack without crumbling in the first place. She did, however, successfully use her hands to block attacks.

Despite the fact the flying bison escape, Azula's team was able to capture and imprison the small group of warriors. The princess was thrilled that she had them under her control and was quick to sentence them to the Boiling Rock Prison.

The moon shone brightly in the cloudy sky when they returned to the tank train. Azula had been sneezing for a while now, and her nose was becoming noticeably stuffed.

"Your highness, you're looking a little pale. Dinner is ready, you should go eat," Sen advised.

"I am indeed hungry, what's for dinner?" inquired Azula while bringing Sen's handkerchief up to her nose.

"I prepared rice with pork belly and steamed vegetables."

"Actually," Azula coughed again and placed a hand on her stomach, "Bring the food to my bedroom, I need to lay down for a little bit."

"Of course, princess," said Sen with a soft voice, yet her eyes showed concern.

_ She's getting the flu… she's not used to being outside for this long, _ Sen thought to herself. 

After informing Ty Lee and Mai that Azula would eat in her room, she served the two girls, gave them her food, and then returned to the kitchen. She placed the food on a tray, made fresh orange juice, and brought the food to Azula's bedroom. Holding the tray with one hand, Sen knocked four times on the door.

"Come in."

Sen opened the door and was greeted with Azula in her sleeping garments, sitting on her bed with a book. Sen closed the door behind her and brought the tray to Azula, unfolding it to stand like a small table. After adjusted the tray and plate to the princess' liking, she bowed her head.

"Thank you, you may go now, Sen. We have a lot to do tomorrow," Azula muttered and grabbed her chopsticks, sniffling a little.

Sen excused herself with a small smile and went to her bedroom. Considering she was Azula's right-hand in everything, Sen's bedroom and tent were always next to hers. It came in handy whenever Azula woke up from nightmares or needed a late-night snack; Sen was quick to be by her side.

It came in hand that very night. Sen woke up startled with noises coming from what seemed to be Azula's bedroom. She threw her covers in the air and sat up so fast she nearly faceplanted into the floor. Just as she opened the door, she saw Azula enter the bathroom right next to her room.

She rushed to the bathroom before Azula was able to close it. As she got there, Azula emptied her stomach into the toilet, groaning in pain.

"Princess!" Sen gasped and quickly reached for her, patting her back gently and held her hair back. She remembered when they got lost in the woods right before recruiting Ty Lee, the exact same thing was happening.

"Not this again… why is it you always catch me in humiliating scenarios?" Azula groaned before slowly standing up and coughing.

Sen remained quiet, still patting her back. While the princess washed her mouth and teeth, Sen observed her with thinned lips. Azula was incredibly pale, her cheeks were rosy pink, and her nose was red and snotty. 

"Please go lay down, your highness. I'll go prepare you some tea," Sen carefully tucked a piece of Azula's hand behind her ear. She felt her cheeks heat up when Azula ever so slightly leaned against her hand.

Oddly enough, Azula didn't protest and did as Sen said. By the time the lieutenant returned with tea, Azula was lying in her bed covered in blankets. She felt incredibly cold, even more than the time she ate poisonous berries.

"Princess, I brought your tea," Sen whispered softly and set the tray on Azula's desk. She poured the tea in a cup with two sugar cubes and mixed it, bringing the teacup to Azula.

"Thank you," Azula whispered with a groan still wrapped in blankets, sitting up and reaching for the teacup.

Sen pulled a chair and sat next to Azula's bed, holding her own teacup and taking small sips. She focused on Azula's breathing and how red her cheeks were getting, assuming she had gotten the flu.

"Excuse me, princess," said Sen as she stretched her hand, pressing the back of it to Azula's forehead. It was very hot.

Azula blinked and looked up at Sen's hand as best as she could then looked at the girl next to her with a confused look.

"You're sick, Azula," Sen sighed and finished drinking her tea. Azula smiled a little at the informality, but it only lasted a second. Then the news hit her.

"I can't be sick! I must find the flying bison and the Avatar!" Azula said in a desperate voice, causing her to cover her mouth to cough. Sen quickly reached for her and adjusted the blankets around her so only her face was uncovered.

"We should be close to a market post. I'll go buy some medicine tomorrow, and I'm sure that if you take it for a few days, you'll recover a lot faster," said Sen with a small smile. "You'll feel a little weak for the next few days, so please rest up."

Azula was about to protest, but she felt so comfortable with the blankets around her; she just sighed and agreed to it. Her body was growing weak as drowsiness took over. Sen placed both teacups on the tray and then helped Azula lay down.

"Goodnight, Azula," she whispered softly and walked to the door. Before she exited, she flicked her finger and put out all the flame lanterns in the room. Right before she closed the door, she heard Azula muttering in her sleep.

Just as expected, Azula felt way too weak to continue with her plans to capture the Avatar. Sen made sure the princess was taking her medicine and eating her meals, no matter how fatigued she could be. It turns out Azula is not very fond of medicine. 

About a week had passed since Azula had fallen sick, and with each day that passed, the more she complained about the medicine.

"Come on, open up," Sen said while holding a spoon of the medicine she had bought at the market. "You need this to get better!"

"I'm tired of taking that! It tastes like rotten fish!" Azula spat and crossed her arms, eyes droopy and nose still very red. "Not that I've ever eaten rotten fish before."

"Your highness, this will help decrease the fever and help you recover faster," Sen sighed. Just when Azula was about to complain, she stuck the spoon in her mouth and made her take medicine.

Azula puffed her cheeks in anger but soon relaxed, letting out a small, weak laugh. It was the same tactic Sen used on her as children whenever she had to take any sort of medicine.

"Get some rest now, okay? I'm going to prepare you some chicken soup for dinner," Sen stood up and reached for a small, hot wet towel. After draining it, she pressed it to Azula's forehead carefully.

"Don't take too long, it's bad enough I have to be in bed all day, so might as well have nice company," Azula muttered and pulled the covers until they covered her nose. Sen widened her eyes and bit back the big smile that threatened to form on her lips.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, needy princess," Sen laughed and left the room in time to hear Azula throw one of her shoes at the door. She dry-coughed a little as she laughed and rubbed her eyes, making her way to the kitchen.

The past week allowed the girls to grow a little closer. Sen was entirely in charge of Azula's meals and kept her company throughout the day, even if Azula was asleep for the most part. She would bring some of her books for Azula to read and buy her new ones whenever they came close to a market post.

Once the chicken soup was done, Sen poured it in a large bowl and brought it to Azula's bedroom. She unfolded the tray and set it over Azula like usual and helped the princess sit up to eat after removing the warm wet towel from her forehead.

"I'm too cold, I can't feel my hands," Azula muttered and sunk inside the blanket-fort-outfit sort of thing she had going on. "I'll eat later."

"The soup will warm you up, though," stated Sen as she took a seat on the chair by the bed.

Azula groaned as a response and sunk even further inside her blankets to the point only her face was uncovered. She had an adorable pout on her face, and Sen could tell she had her arms crossed.

"Alright then, I'll feed you."

"You what?!" Azula widened her eyes and looked at Sen., "Absolutely not!"

"You're sick and cold, Azula," Sen sighed and grabbed the bowl of soup and the spoon, taking a seat next to her in bed, facing her. "I'll do it."

Azula felt her cheeks heat up at the thought of Sen feeding her. She wanted to complain; she did  _ not _ need help, much less when it came to eating. She was fifteen, she didn't need to be fed like a child! Right when she was about to protest, she sneezed into her blanket and groaned, closing her eyes.

"Fine… but don't you dare tell anyone!" Azula pursed her lips and let her back rest on the bed's headboard.

Sen held up a spoonful of soup and gently blew on it to cool it down, then carefully extended her arm towards Azula. The princess opened her mouth and swallowed the soup, humming at the taste. Her palate was returning, as was her hunger thanks to the stinky medicine.

"Do you like it?" Sen asked with a small smile as she filled the spoon again, taking it to Azula's mouth.

"It's quite tasty," said Azula as she ate the next spoonful of soup. She looked at Sen as she filled the spoon again, noticing how tired her friend looked. Her eye bags were dark, and her eyes seemed exhausted.

_ She's doing this for me and tiring herself out, _ Azula thought to herself.

Once Azula ate all of her soup, and Sen had returned the dirty dishes to the kitchen area, both girls sat together in silence. Admittedly, Azula felt a lot better, the fever was nearly gone, and her appetite was back. It was all thanks to Sen. Not that she'd be caught saying that in public.

"Sen?"

"Yes, your highness?" The lieutenant looked up from her book and to the side to look at the sick princess.

"I know it's late, but could you make a fruit tart?" asked the princess with a quiet voice, eyes focusing on the book she held.

"Of course, princess, which fruits would you like?" the girl stood up and set down her book.

"Strawberries and blueberries if we have them," replied Azula with a small smile. "Oh, and make it two fruit tarts."

"I see your appetite is back," Sen laughed a little as she squeezed the wet towel once more to drain excess water. Azula adjusted herself on the bed so Sen could press the tower to her forehead.

"It is back, yes, but the second tart is for you," the princess muttered and looked up from her book, her eyes locking with Sen's blue ones. "I know you haven't been eating a lot."

Sen was speechless. It had been a while since Azula displayed worry over her. When she did, it was usually always masked with excuses, the most common one being that Sen worked for the Fire Nation, so she needed to be healthy. She knew Azula was capable of care, worry, affection, and love; she never doubted it.

"I…" Sen smiled softly, running a hand through her fluffy, short, black hair in embarrassment. "Thank you, Zula. I will do as you wish!"

The lieutenant made a dramatic exit, bowing with a twirl of her hand while walking backwards to the door. This earned a small laugh from the princess, and, as soon as Sen exited, Azula's cheeks broke out into a deep, red blush. She could hear Sen let out a loud sneeze from the hallway.

"Zula… it's been so long since you've called me that," Azula whispered with a broad smile, heart thumping hard in her chest as she shook her head a little. "Oh, Senny, only you to make me have such conflicted thoughts."

She had known Sen all her life. She was her closest friend, who never tried to use or abuse her like her family did. She remembered all the times Sen stood up for her or was there to comfort her after a rough training session or when she was ignored by her mother. 

Azula felt affection towards her, that much she knew, but she didn't know what it was. She liked having Sen nearby, have her attention, and spar with her. Admittedly, Azula also found herself craving her touch. Whenever they were next to each other, alone, she wanted to hold her hand in hers, she wanted to kiss her cheek and tell her how proud she was.

The princess bit her lip to hold back a small smile, remembering the first time she had ever kissed Sen's cheek. It had been on her fifteenth birthday. Sen had offered her a blank notebook, a journal so to speak, so Azula could take notes of their travels and adventures during their conquests. Sen believed that, in the future, Azula could look back and read about their crazy adventures and laugh.

Despite all the expensive gifts her father had given her, Azula didn't think they had any meaning behind it, that there was no care. Azula was so happy with Sen's thoughtful gift that she gave her a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. Needless to say, Sen was a sputtering mess.

Azula snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the door open. The scent of freshly baked tarts filled her nose and made her stomach rumble a little. She quickly adjusted herself on her comfortable bed and helped Sen by holding the tray on top of her legs.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long," Sen gave her a smirk. Azula huffed and patted the spot next to her in bed, a silent demand for Sen to sit down.

"The tarts will make up for your absence," Azula chuckled and grabbed a plate for herself, admiring the colorful tarts.

The two girls ate their tarts while chatting, talking about the upcoming plans to take Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation. Sen occasionally sniffled as she ate, something that caught Azula's attention. She looked at her with an arched brow.

"Oh, it's probably because I was around the oven," Sen chuckled and used a clean handkerchief to wipe her nose. "Makes me all sniffly."

"Okay, then. Listen, do you think it'll take very long until I can resume our plans?" asked Azula as she took the last bite of her tart.

Sen munched on her tart slowly, thinking. "I think you should be good to go in a couple of days. Rest all day tomorrow, continue drinking plenty of water, and I'm sure you'll be up and running the day after tomorrow!"

"That's great!" Azula sighed in relief and set her plate on the tray. "Then I should get to sleep earlier today. I need to figure out a way for all of us to get into Ba Sing Se without raising any suspicion."

Sen rubbed her eyes and sneezed into her handkerchief. She gathered the plates and the tray, holding it in one hand.

"I'll let you get some sleep then, princess," Sen said as she walked towards the door, dry-coughing. "Oh, I am sure I heard one of the Kyoshi Warriors comment they were to be expected by the king of Ba Sing Se.

"Why not take their outfits, put on the face paint, and pretend to be them?"

Azula's eyes widened at the idea. "That's brilliant, Senny! Once I'm back to normal, we'll do that!" 

Sen grinned and bowed her head at the princess, her nickname echoing in her mind.  _ Senny… she didn't forget about it,  _ Sen thought.

"Glad I can help you, go get some sleep now," Sen opened the door and walked outside. Right before she left, she peeked inside. "Goodnight, Azula!"

"Goodnight, Sen!" said Azula excitedly.

The plan was perfect. She was way too excited to even notice just how much Sen sneezed after leaving her room. Azula adjusted herself in her bed and put off her room's flames, closing her eyes and letting herself fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated 💙


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